Archives West Finding Aid

Photographic negatives shot by the Seattle Engineering Department photographers documenting public works, including construction of buildings and bridges, paving, and sewer and water pipe installation; city employees and elected officials; and damage to streets and buildings by earthquakes and landslides. The Court Engineering division of the Engineering Department provided engineering services to the Law and Legislative Department, and many photographs support this work, including regrades, condemnations, street use violations, law suits, and other legal work. All projects approved by the City, and often documented by Engineering Department photographs, can be traced in the Ordinance database to discover dates and project costs. The evolution of the water system, the sewer system, the construction of streets and bridges, and other major public works projects, such as the Alaskan Way Viaduct and I-5 are documented through these photographs. The Engineering Department negatives capture the construction of dams, both for water supply and hydroelectric purposes, especially well. There are many images of the Gorge, Diablo and Ross dams and power plants on the Skagit River, as well as the Tolt and Masonry Dams on the Cedar and Tolt Rivers. Construction of other structures, such as reservoirs and tunnels are also subjects in these images. Employee events, such as safety awards, retirement parties, and holiday get-togethers are covered as well. Digitization of negatives is ongoing. More than 40,000 digitized images can be viewed on our digital platform. View digitized material online Researchers should speak with an archivist to obtain information on images not available online.