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In June of 1938,
owners of a property at 5th and Pike in downtown Seattle
wrote to the City to complain about a newsstand located on the sidewalk
in front of their building.
The letter called the stand unsightly and obstructive, noted
that it was operating without permission or rent and asked for it to be removed.
The matter was referred to the Board of Public Works,
which asked the City Engineer and the Superintendent of Buildings
to investigate and recommend a policy that would either allow
or deny such stands to remain.
By the end of July, an eight-page report was submitted
describing multiple newsstands in the area in terms of location and size,
the kinds of merchandise sold, the level of obstruction caused,
and the amount of nearby pedestrian traffic.
But what I love most about the report are the photos included of each stand.
They are clearly labeled by location and include vibrant
and detailed street scenes of downtown Seattle.
In addition to showing the newsstands and newsstand operators,
these informal snapshots capture automobiles and streetcars,
nearby businesses and pedestrians going about their day crossing the street,
walking down the sidewalk or waiting for the streetcar.
Here's a picture of the stand at 5th and Pike, the site of the original complaint.
The report tells us that the stand
sold a quote “large variety of sensational magazines,” unquote.
It was about five feet wide, ten feet long and six feet high and obstructed
six feet of a sidewalk where, according to the report,
approximately 9,000 pedestrians passed through during a 12 hour time frame.
The southeast corner of
3rd and Pike was deemed the busiest of the newsstand sites,
having the highest concentration of pedestrian traffic
measured at 60,000 people passing through in 12 hours.
All of the photos convey a sense of busy streets and sidewalks
on what we can assume was a typical day in this part of downtown Seattle in 1938.
After noting that the newsstands did indeed obstruct views
and impede traffic and pedestrians, the report recommended
that the stands be reduced in size and obtain permission
from adjacent property owners in order to remain in place.
To learn more about this report or any other materials in the Archives,
just email archives@seattle.gov.
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