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36-881: The Georgetown Steam Plant , located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle, Washington , was constructed in 1906 for the Seattle Electric Company to provide power for Seattle, notably for streetcars . The plant was originally built by Stone and Webster in 1906. One of the first reinforced concrete structures on the U.S. West Coast, it originally provided power for the Interurban Railway between Seattle and Tacoma ; it also provided both direct current for Seattle's streetcars and alternating current for Georgetown, then an independent city. They purchased General Electric steam turbine technology, based on patents originally held by inventor Charles Gordon Curtis . At

72-656: A County Poor Farm was established along the Duwamish in the southern part of Georgetown. In 1893 Seattle streetcar service came to Georgetown and the King County Hospital was built near the corner of Orcas Street and Corson Avenue, east of the Poor Farm. In 1898 Georgetown's first local school was established. In 1902 the Seattle-Tacoma interurban line came through Georgetown, which became the site of its car barns. In 1906

108-492: A Seattle saloon and brothel keeper rented a portion of the Collins homestead from Luther's widow Diana (Borst) Collins to run a horse track, making the area a destination for all sorts of manly fun. Developer Julius Horton, brother of Seattle banker Dexter Horton, purchased a portion of the Collins homestead in 1871 and began to plat the lots that would become the community of Georgetown. The Duwamish community's transition towards

144-408: A dry city. With Seattle increasingly cracking down on public sinfulness within its boundaries, Georgetown caught the windfall with its twenty-four 24 hour saloons, some of which advertised lodging arrangements, and horse racing track. Once Seattle rejected local-option Prohibition, a movement for annexation gained widespread support. Following presentation of a petition for an annexation vote in 1909,

180-698: A few new bars and coffeehouses have opened in the neighborhood, plus a record store, a beer store, a barber shop, a circus school (SANCA), a bakery, a scooter shop, a "skin sanctuary" ( waxing salon), a web design company, and an art gallery/recording studio. Laura Cassidy of the Seattle Weekly described the prevailing aesthetic: "Creatively employing the open, airy brick-walled spaces left behind by industry and manufacturing, and augmenting them with local art and 20th-century detritus, Georgetown's merchants consistently fashion warm, imaginative interiors: places you want to visit and never want to leave. Just walking through

216-547: A good place to create a town. The Denny Party arrived in Portland, Oregon on August 22, 1851. Arthur Denny was ill and Mary Ann was about to give birth so the party convalesced in Portland. On September 2, Mary gave birth to a son, Rolland H. Denny. John Low and David Denny headed north to scout the possibilities. Along the way they were joined by Leander "Lee" Terry. In newly founded Olympia, Washington , they met Michael Simmons ,

252-605: A long-term lease and operating agreement with the Georgetown Steam Plant Community Development Authority (GSPCDA). The new authority has a mandate to steward the plant, to add amenities, and to establish public programming "for the purposes of historical interpretation as well as education in the areas of science, technology, education, arts, math, and related events." Georgetown, Seattle, Washington Despite being surrounded by industry and major transportation corridors, Georgetown retains

288-509: A rail-centered economy began on March 7, 1877, with the first run on a new rail line between Steele's Landing on the Duwamish and coal mines in Renton . In 1878 the line was extended to Newcastle (east of Lake Washington) and it was later extended to other coal sites in south King County. Although rail lines connecting Georgetown to Seattle had been constructed as early as 1878, Steele's Landing retained its importance for commerce with Seattle until

324-730: A reliable, permanent rail connection was established in October 1885. In 1884 the rail line got connected to the Northern Pacific line to the south, and by 1889 transcontinental service came to Georgetown. With an abundance of flat land that Seattle lacked, Georgetown became the site of the rail yard servicing the new freight traffic. The freight hub in Georgetown fostered the development of industries capitalizing on its access to resources and rail-to-market, including breweries, lumber mills, brickyards, and foundries. Reconstruction of Seattle after

360-516: A sizeable number of residences and businesses. Georgetown is arguably the oldest neighborhood of Seattle. Georgetown's first settlement was founded on September 27, 1851, when Luther Collins , Henry Van Asselt, and the Maple family arrived with their household goods with the intention of farming the rich alluvial lands of the Duwamish delta. Although the Denny Party arrived at Alki Point two days prior to

396-572: A special election was held on March 29, 1910. The annexation proposition passed with 389 votes in favor and 238 opposed. The City of Georgetown, with its 4000 residents, was officially consolidated with Seattle on April 4, 1910. The Old Georgetown City Hall (1909) is now on the National Register of Historic Places as is the Georgetown Steam Plant (1906). Statewide Prohibition, enacted in 1914, closed Georgetown's brewing industry, but

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432-477: A wagon party headed by Arthur A. Denny left Cherry Grove, Illinois and headed west. The party included Arthur Denny's father John Denny , his stepmother, two of his older brothers who ultimately settled in the Willamette Valley of Oregon , his younger brother David Denny , his wife, Mary Ann Boren, Mary's younger sister Louisa, and their brother Carson Boren . Mary Ann Denny and was pregnant throughout

468-475: The Boeing Company , who set up shop in a former shipyard across the Duwamish from Georgetown to manufacture seaplanes . Boeing expanded through the 1920s; its land plane testing airstrip in a field south of Georgetown became a public airport (now called Boeing Field ) in 1928 and Boeing constructed a new aircraft assembly plant west of the airport in the mid-1930s. The main north–south automotive route through

504-494: The Duwamish River to the present site of Puyallup , before settling on an island in the mudflats near the east shore of Elliott Bay , now the site of Pioneer Square . For the next three years Alki Point and Elliott Bay sites competed as rival townsites. Charlie Terry bought out his brother's and Low's Alki holdings, and led this community. Arthur Denny settled at Elliott Bay and, along with his rival D.S. "Doc" Maynard , led

540-614: The General Electric Company between 1906 and 1917. Puget Sound Traction and Lighting Company (now Puget Sound Energy ) bought the Seattle Electric Company in 1912; the Georgetown Steam Plant powered the Seattle-to- Tacoma Interurban and Seattle streetcars; it also provided residential and industrial power to Georgetown. Originally an oil -fired plant, it converted to a coal in 1917. As hydropower

576-491: The Georgetown Steam Plant brought electric power to Georgetown as well as providing power for Seattle streetcars and the Seattle-Tacoma interurban line. Georgetown existed as an independent city from 1904 to 1910, when it was annexed by Seattle. Georgetown incorporated in 1904 largely as a defense against the prospect that Seattle would adopt local Prohibition , which could impact Georgetown's ability to keep operating saloons and breweries as an unincorporated area adjoining

612-409: The fire of 1889 and its rapid growth in the following decade boosted demand for building materials supplied by Georgetown. With fill provided by waste from an early regrade attempt on Beacon Hill, the industrial area grew northward across the former tideflats. With access to good hop-growing areas in the valleys of the Duwamish drainage and a large contingent of German immigrants, Georgetown became

648-484: The Collins Party arrival, the Collins Party was able to complete permanent structures and build a successful farming community within a year. The Denny Party suffered in relative squalor in an unfinished cabin and encampment until their move in 1852 to the future downtown Seattle area. The Collins farm was located in the vicinity of the present-day First Avenue Bridge, running north to the vicinity of South Idaho Street, on

684-532: The Denny Party left Portland on the schooner Exact , bound for Puget Sound and Haida Gwaii . The Exact carried a number of settlers bound for Puget Sound in addition to the Denny Party, including Daniel Bigelow who settled in Olympia. After a difficult passage, particularly hard on the still-ill Denny, they arrived at Alki on November 13, where David greeted them with the words, "I wish you hadn't come." Denny

720-522: The Puget Sound region was established through the western part of Georgetown in 1928 . Following the burgeoning industry and trade came a steep decline of the residential neighborhood. Dated and downscale housing stock, congestion, and the worst air and noise pollution in the city made it an unattractive place to settle. The library branch was closed in 1948, the neighborhood movie theater closed in 1952, and neighborhood stores closed. Business strips along

756-518: The city's public electric utility. Since 2014 it has opened to the general public once a month, from 10am to 2pm on the second Saturday of each month. The plant houses the last operable examples of early vertical Curtis steam generating turbines, as well as operational reciprocating steam engines, a collection of vintage machining tools, and several smaller steam engines. On July 12, 2021, the City of Seattle passed an ordinance authorizing City Light to execute

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792-422: The commercial district along Airport Way S. The old Georgetown brewery was used as a warehouse and cold storage facility. Recent years have seen the opening of several microbreweries with pubs in Georgetown, in a nod to the neighborhood's roots fitting with its revival as an entertainment and cultural district. The unincorporated community was named Georgetown by Julius Horton, after his son, in 1890. In 1890

828-469: The district remained a growing industrial and transportation center for Seattle. Straightening and deepening of the Duwamish waterway completed in 1916 made it more accessible for maritime commerce, bringing more waterfront business to the area. A meander loop of the Duwamish through the center of Georgetown was cut off and filled; the old channel and interior of the loop became a new warehouse district served by rail spurs. The Duwamish waterway attracted

864-653: The east bank of the Duwamish River. Farms in the Duwamish Valley supplied the lumber-based settlement in Seattle. Boatwrights set up shop along the Duwamish estuary as land was cleared for farming. Before land transport links with Seattle were established, the economic hub of the Duwamish was a boat landing at the approximate location of the South Lucille Street/East Marginal Way junction. In 1869

900-590: The journey and Mary Ann's sister Louisa Boren ultimately married David Denny in 1861. On July 6, 1851, the party battled Native Americans at American Falls , Idaho on the Snake River , but escaped unharmed. The following day they met John Low, and he joined the party. Late in July 1851 they reached the Burnt River in eastern Oregon where they encountered a man named Brock who suggested to Denny that Puget Sound would be

936-545: The plant was the site of the last performance of the rock band Big Black . Paul Carosino and Lilly Tellefson founded the Georgetown PowerPlant Museum in 1995 to restore, maintain and operate the plant. However, the next year Carosino died of a heart attack at the age of 48, leaving Tellefson to run it without him. In this era, programs were established to use the facility to teach boiler firemen and steam engineers. The plant remains owned by Seattle City Light ,

972-528: The sixth-largest beer producing district in the world. A Georgetown brewing company began operations in 1882 and in 1888 acquired the Seattle Brewery with its Rainier brand. The holdings were incorporated as the Seattle Malting and Brewing Company in 1892. The old Seattle Brewery was reopened and expanded after Prohibition ended. The red brick brewery, home to artists and small businesses, dominates

1008-417: The streets you witness post-squat, industrial bohemian chic." Recent years have seen multiple-unit housing built in some of the remaining residential blocks near the old red brick commercial and industrial district. Denny Party The Denny Party was a group of American pioneers credited with founding Seattle , Washington . They settled at Alki Point on November 13, 1851. On April 10, 1851,

1044-405: The thoroughfares expanded onto the cheap land in the struggling neighborhood. The neighborhood population was increasingly divided between elderly long-term residents and short-term renters. During the 1960s the Georgetown elementary school experienced a turnover rate among students of over 90% some years and enrollment declined to less than one third of what it had been during its peak. The school

1080-484: The time of its landmarking, it contained the "last operating examples of the world's first large scale, steam turbine". The building itself, "built by a fast-track construction process, was designed and supervised by Frank W. Gilbreth, later a nationally famous proponent of efficiency engineering." The building is also a Seattle City Landmark and is on the Washington State Register of Historic Places. In 1987,

1116-527: The time, this was cutting edge technology, and the Georgetown Steam Plant "marks the beginning of the end of the reciprocating steam engine " as the dominant mode of generating electricity on a large scale. Originally located along an oxbow of the Duwamish River to provide cooling water, the plant was left inland after the original river channel was straightened in 1917. Retired after nearly 75 years of operation, it remains "surprisingly complete and operable". The plant has three Curtis turbines , manufactured by

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1152-502: The unfinished cabin. David Denny hurt his leg and was unable to complete the roof of the cabin. In Portland, Arthur Denny recruited Illinois farmer William Nathaniel Bell and his wife, and, by coincidence, Charlie Terry, Leander's younger brother. The Terry brothers, from Waterville, New York , had come west as part of the California Gold Rush , but had not liked the rough and tumble of San Francisco . On November 5, 1851,

1188-440: The wealthy founder of Tumwater . He guided them to Alki to scout as a possible site for a settlement. On September 28, 1851, at Alki, Terry and Low began building a cabin with help from the local Native Americans, and then staked claims to the land. They decided to name their new village New York. Low returned to Portland to alert the others, Terry looked for a froe to make redcedar shake shingles, and David Denny stayed on in

1224-434: Was bitterly disappointed that Low and Lee Terry had already staked the relevant claims for Alki. However, he had no choice but to pitch in, finish the cabin and settle in for the winter. Denny convinced Bell and Boren that they needed to scout a different location. Once the worst of winter cleared, Denny and other party members explored as far as Commencement Bay (now the site of Tacoma ), Port Orchard , Smith Cove , and up

1260-457: Was closed in 1971. As of the 1990s only scattered remnants of the old residential neighborhood remained, housing approximately 1500 residents with a poverty rate of 25%. Georgetown has had a certain degree of a "scene" since the 1990s. In 2001, Industrial Coffee and Stellar Pizza were both hosting live musical performances. The former folded, and the latter stopped hosting shows and changed its name to Stellar Pizza. Since that time, however, quite

1296-535: Was developed in the 1910s and 1920s the steam plant became uncompetitive and only used for emergencies. It last produced electricity in January 1953 when water levels at the dams were low. Decommissioning took place in 1972. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1984, and is also designated by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark . At

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