The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-01-24
FOR A BETTER SITE.
Removal of the University is
Still Favored.
TEN ACRES NOT ROOM ENOUGH.
Regents Favor the Legislative Action
and Will Ask the City to Give
Its Quit Claim.

A dispatch from Olympia to the Posr-
ISTELLIGEScER, published yesterday, de-
clares that next week joint commission,
consisting of the state granted and school
lands committees of both houses, viii visit
Seattle, as the dispatch says, Ito confer
with the city authorities relative to the
city giving the state quit-claim deed 10
the university property, comprising some
ten acres in the heart of the city, said TO
be worth in the vicinity of $4,000. The
committee will ask the city for this prop
erty for the state, and Senator Thompson
says there is no question but that the re-
quest will be granted, inasmuch as it is
necessary that the state have the property
in order 10 make any decided improve
ment. Once the state has absolute control of
the property it will be sold and the money
derived from the sale devoted to building
splendid new university. The intention
is to buy hundred or more acres in the
suburbs of Seattle, and erect fine buildings
and make fine grounds that would be a
credit to any state in the Union. In fact,
1t is expected to arrange all preliminaries
in view of the future, when Washington
must have one of the best universities in
the world"
Judge Richard Osborn, member of the
board of regents of the university, said, in
speaking of this matter yesterday: THE
subject has frequently come up for dis
cussion before the regents. The point is
here. We feel that the present tract of
land is more useful for business or resi-
dence purposes than for the university.
The place is right in the heart of the city.
and the land, if sold, would bring large
price. Even if We had to buy land III the
suburbs for the university, We could
get enough money from the sale to get
much larger and more available piece,
and IN addition, to erect suitable build
ings. But the regents expect that lands
in the suburbs will be given outright for
the university, and we can not only erect
buildings but have an endowment fund
left over. Then, too, the ground in the
suburbs would answer the needs of such
college much better than that in the city.
SO you see that the plan has everything to
recommend it. 1t is in no way intended
to take the university away from Seattle.
but rather to strengthen its position here"
Mr.. A. A. Denny gave the following
history of the University tract: about
1860 the territorial legislature agreed TO
put the university here if a site of ten
acres would be given for it. The commits
sioners having the matter in charge came
here and located the tract little south of
the present site, so that it lay half on my
land and half on piece owned Jointly by
Charles {. Terry and Edward Lander, the
first chief justice of the territory They
objected to giving five acres for the pur-
pose, and then l said that if they would
go TO the hill where the Denny hotel now
stands, would give them ten acres there
myself. They looked at the trees and
the underbrush and came TO the conclusion
that such place would never do. Then
they finally put the university on its pres
ent site, for which gave eight acres and
In the deed of the land to the territory we
put reversionary clause that if ever the
state should cease TO use the ground for
the university the title should revert, not
to the original owners, but To the city, to
be employed for educational purposes.
The title of the ground is now with
the state as the legal successor
of the territory. If the state
should try to sell, the title would revert to
the city. But if the legislature can get
the city to deed its reyersionary interest,
then the sale can be made without trouble.
i think that the land is worth more than
the $4,000 stated; indeed, / should put
the value at S400, GOO at the lowest.
1.-The reasons for removing the univer-
sity TO the suburbs, in case a good site can
and [ should not oppose the
change. But any attempt to take the uni
versity away from Seattle should use all
my influence TO resist, as indeed would
every man here. The university has been
mainly supported by the efforts of Seattle
citizens, and | believe that had the deed
of land not contained that reyersionary
clause, combinations TO take the university
away from us would have been successful.