The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-04-10
! LANDMARK GONE.
Demolition of Dexter Horton &
Co.'s Old Bank Building.
IT WAS THE FIRST STONE BLOCK.
Disappearance OF the Last Relic OF Old
seattle-How It Was Built-Its
Noble Successor.

One of the landmarks of old Seattle-the
only building in the business section of
the city to Withstand the ravages of the
great fire-will soon have disappeared.
This is the stone building which for six
teen years has occupied the northwest
corner of Commercial and Washington
streets, one-half having served as an Office
for the bank of Dexter Horton & Co. and
the other half as store for Harrington &
Smith. 1t was the first building erected
in the city of any material more substan-
tial than wood and for years was regarded
as model of soliditv, in fact, had some
thing of grandeur impaired to it by the
humble character of its neighbors, though
1t had only one story. 1t has, however,
sunk into insignifcance since the great
fire inaugurated new building era and
gave birth to new Seattle.
This building was really two-the more
northerly half having been erected by
Dexter Horton about 1870 for the then
firm of Crawford e. Harrington, while the
half directly on the corner was begun in
June, 1870, by Dexter Horton & Co.. with
party wall. The store building was of
stone from Port Orchard, but afterwards
grea. deal of Chuckanut stone was put into
it. The bank building was of stone
brought from Port Townsend and had
step consisting of a granite block made
from great boulder found near the Site
The floor of the store building was orig
inally four feet below that of the bank, but
it was afterwards raised so that both floors
were on the same level. The firm then
consisted of James Crawford, since dead,
and William A. Harrington, the senior
member of the present firm of Harrington
& Smith.
The bank was not opened in the new
building until the spring of 1876, for the
stone was only brought in slowly and the
work was all done in small way, so that
1t took as long to finish one-story stone
building at that time as it takes to COM
plete six-story brick and stone building
now. Before the erection of this new
building, the bank occupied one-story
frame building on the same site, and,
pending its construction, moved to SINH
lar frame structure across the alley to the
west.
Soon after erection of this first stone
building began, the first brick building
was put under way. It was three stories
high, and occupied the present site of the
Olympic block, at the corner of CONNER
cial street and Yesler avenue.
The vault, which is now plainly exposed
to view from the street, was not con-
structed until about three years later. as
the bank then contemplated movingfurther
up town. When it was decided to remain
there, the vault was built, and relieved A.
A. Denny, one of the two members of the
banking firm, of much anxiety, for he
said, when telling these facts to Posr-
INTELLIGENcER reporter: 81 lost sleep OYER
that vault, and stood over it constantly
while it was being built, but when it was
finished felt no more anxiety" The out
come proved that Mr.. Denny's anxiety
had not been without cause, for the vault
saved all the banks books and valuables
from destruction in the great fire.
A cornerstone was laid in the building
on July "a, 1875, in which were deposited
number of mementoes of the times. The
ceremony of laying it is thus described in
the WEEKLY INTELLIGENcER of Saturday,
July 81, 1875:
MEMENTos FOR ANOTHER GESERATIoS-On
Saturday afternoon last week the cornerstone
of Horton e. Co. 6 new stone building for their
bank, was laid upon the foundation walls which
had been built up some four feet above the pres
ens level of the street. Prior to placing this
first hewn corner block into position, Mr.. Hor-
ton notified large number of our principal
business men of what was to take place, and
that all such as desired could have an opportun-
ity of depositing in a receptacle which had
been cut in the foundation rock, upon which
the corner stone was to be laid, any memento of
themselves or their business which they saw fit.
This rare chance of furnishing some relic-loviug
generation, u hundred years or more hence,
with the names of the business men of Seattle
in this early period of her history, led many to
avail themselves of the opportunity af-
forded, and but short time elapsed be-
fore the space allotted for such memo
randa was filed. embracing, as it speedily did,
the following contributions. viz: a copy of the
building contract between Messrs. Horton & Co.
aud Mr.. Carkeek, the contractor, and state
ment by whom and for whom the structure was
built: number of small coins by the owners of