Online Exhibits

Discovery Park

The urban oasis of Discovery Park has had many competing demands for use over its history.

Traffic Flow Maps

Learn how city engineers tracked Seattle's traffic patterns over the years.

Domestic Partnerships and Marriage Equality in Seattle

Legislation and other events that led to legal domestic partnerships - and eventually same sex marriage - in Seattle.

The City of Seattle and the 1962 World's Fair

How the municipal government prepared for Century 21.

Urban Renewal in Seattle

A look at urban renewal programs in the city and their lasting effects.

Police Accountability

How community advocacy and engagement has led to incremental progress in mechanisms for police oversight in Seattle.

Seattle at 150

Stories of the city through 150 objects from the Seattle Municipal Archives, in honor of the city's sesquicentennial.

The Seattle Open Housing Campaign, 1959-1968

The story of the long struggle for fair housing legislation in Seattle, as told through photographs, documents, and audio clips.

Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center

How Native American activism led to the dedication of public land for Native peoples' use for the first time since the founding of Seattle.

Boundary Dam

A history of the construction and development of City Light's dam in northeastern Washington.

Seattle Design Commission: 50 Years

Selected photos and drawings that highlight projects reviewed by the commission during its first 50 years.

Redlining in Seattle

A look at the city's efforts to address discriminatory lending practices identified in a 1975 report by the Central Seattle Community Council Federation.

Pike Place Market Centennial

A brief history of the market's first hundred years, including its founding and development, its farmers and shoppers, and the citizen initiative that saved it from urban renewal in the 1970s.

Strength & Stamina: Women in the Fire Department

The story of the courage, hard work, and perseverance it took for women to enter the all-male world of firefighting in Seattle.

A City at Work: Images from the Seattle Municipal Archives Photograph Collection

A wide-ranging display of images from the Photograph Collection, highlighting the history, work, and accomplishments of Seattle city government.

Women in City Government

An exhibit illustrating women's employment and involvement in Seattle city government and their stories and struggles in finding their "places" in the City.

Lake Washington Ship Canal

A set of small exhibits highlighting the construction of the canal and development along its shores.

Urban Refugees: The 1978 Housing Crisis

The conversion of apartment buildings to condominiums caused a housing crunch for renters in the late 1970s.

Seattle's City Halls

A look at city halls throughout Seattle's history, from the first building constructed for city government offices to the new city hall that opened in 2003.

AYPE: A Memorable Enterprise

A behind-the-scenes look at Seattle city government's role in preparing the city for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in 1909.

Annexed Cities

Eight small towns were annexed to Seattle between 1905 and 1910, some enthusiastically and some reluctantly. This exhibit takes a look at the history of four of those towns and how they became part of the city.

Municipal Archives, City Clerk

Anne Frantilla, City Archivist
Address: 600 Fourth Avenue, Third Floor, Seattle, WA, 98104
Mailing Address: PO Box 94728, Seattle, WA, 98124-4728
Phone: (206) 684-8353
archives@seattle.gov

The Office of the City Clerk maintains the City's official records, provides support for the City Council, and manages the City's historical records through the Seattle Municipal Archives. The Clerk's Office provides information services to the public and to City staff.