Planning Commission Photographs

Planning Commission Photographs, 1945-1957

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Seattle (Wash.). Planning Commission
Title: Planning Commission Photographs
Dates: 1945-1957 (inclusive)
19451957
Quantity: 446 photographic prints, (145 negatives)
.8 cubic foot, (2 boxes)
Collection Number: 1650-14
Summary: Planning Commission Photographs depict Seattle neighborhoods, roads, parks, and marinas; also included are photographs of display materials and photographs related to land use.
Repository: Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions: Records are open to the public.
Languages: English
Sponsor: Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

The City Planning Commission was created in 1924 to prepare plans and gather data for the development of the City, to advise City Council on current problems and long range planning, and to participate in administration of the City's Zoning Ordinance. An independent nine-member commission was established with adoption of a new City Charter in 1946. It was provided with authority to hire as needed to carry out its planning and advisory functions. The Planning Commission also administered the Board of Adjustment following its creation in 1957.

The city planning process was reorganized in 1980 and the Commission's planning function was transferred to the Department of Community Development. The current Commission is an advisory agency that reviews development plans and reports to the Mayor and City Council. It is composed of 15 members, all of whom must be Seattle citizens.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Planning Commission photographs date from 1945 to 1957; most of the photographs are undated. The photographs depict neighborhoods, homes, parks, highways, moorages and marinas, and aerial views of Seattle and surrounding areas. Some photographs are related to land use. A selection of photographs of a display is included; the photographs show display materials on the topic of city and neighborhood planning. Some display materials in the collection may be related to the 1953 convention of the American Institute of Architects, which was held in Seattle. Also included are photographs of Kitimat, B.C., and highway photographs made in California. Very few images in the collection are specifically identified.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

[Title of image, date. Item number.] Planning Commission Photographs, Record Series 1650-14. Seattle Municipal Archives.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Photographs are arranged alphabetically by subject.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Planning Commission Photographs, 1945-1957Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
1/1	AIA Convention: Exhibit Memo and Itinerary	1953
1/2	Blight 1 print	1950
1/3	Buffalo City Planning Commission 17 negatives Photographs may have been part of an exhibit or display.	n.d.
1/4	Buffalo City Planning Commission 2 prints	n.d.
1/5	City of Seattle Map: Improved Property 1 negative	n.d.
1/6	Detroit City Plan Commission 4 prints, 1 positive photostat, 1 negative photostat	ca. 1949-1953
1/7	East Duwamish Greenbelt 1 print	n.d.
1/8	Exhibit Photographs 34 prints	1948-1950, n.d.
1/9	Exhibit Photographs 43 negatives, 1 photostat Negatives correspond to prints in 1/8. Notes on box: "City Planning, Albright Show, B.C.P.A. studies, Radburn etc."	n.d.
1/10	Exhibit Photographs 17 negatives Images show maps, including a map of Paris and two German maps; also pictured are aerial views of cities and buildings. Photographs may have been part of an exhibit or display.	n.d.
1/11	Green River Flood Photographs (Mounted) 17 prints	n.d.
1/12	Green River Flood Photographs (Mounted) 17 prints	n.d.
1/13	King Street Station and Terminal Post Office 7 prints	n.d.
1/14	King Street Station and Terminal Post Office 9 prints	1950, n.d.
1/15	Kitimat, B.C. 8 prints	n.d.
1/16	Land Use: North of City Annexation 16 prints	1950
1/17	Land Use: Queen City Yacht Club 8 prints	n.d.
1/18	Land Use: Residential Density Photographs 32 prints	n.d.
1/19	Magnolia Shopping Center 4 prints	n.d.
2/1	Marinas and Moorages 25 prints	1952-1953, n.d.
2/2	Marinas and Moorages 18 prints	1952, n.d.
2/3	Parkway (Aurora?) 1 print	n.d.
2/4	Planning San Francisco: A Monthly Bulletin of the San Francisco Planning Commission 8 newsletters	1945-1946
2/5	Portage Bay Study Photographs 32 prints	1950, n.d.
2/6	Seattle Aerial Photographs (dated) 31 prints Photographs are dated and identified by street name or neighborhood.	1949-1954
2/7	Seattle Aerial Photographs (undated) 23 prints Photographs are undated, but in some cases are identified by street names handwritten on prints.	n.d.
2/8	Seattle Aerial Photographs 17 negatives Negatives may correspond to prints in folders 2/6 or 2/7. "Shot with focal-plane shutter."	n.d.
2/9	Seattle City Planning Commission 1 print	1957
2/10	Seattle City Planning Commission Correspondence Included are several items of correspondence, as well as a copy of an architectural drawing of the proposed Civic Center.	1950
2/11	Seattle City Planning Commission Display Materials 3 prints Photographs of display materials showing population studies, land use, and topography for Seattle, as well as a map showing data for the Comprehensive Plan.	n.d.
2/12	Seattle City Planning Commission Display Materials 17 prints Included are aerial photographs, images of parks and streets, and traffic images from the California Highway Department.	1949-1956, n.d.
2/13	Seattle City Planning Commission: "Taxes Are High Because of Slum Areas" 1 print, 1 negative	n.d.
2/14	Seattle (Miscellaneous) 11 prints Included are photographs of people, neighborhoods, homes, parks, roads, and Seattle views.	1954, n.d.
2/15	Seattle (Miscellaneous) 36 3x5 prints; 46 2 1/4 prints Included are photographs of people, neighborhoods, homes, parks, roads, and various other Seattle locales.	n.d.
2/16	Seattle (Miscellaneous) 49 negatives Included are photographs of neighborhoods, homes, parks, roads, and various other Seattle locales. Some negatives correspond to prints in folder 2/15.	n.d.
2/17	Slide Conditions (Alki, Spring 1950) 9 prints	1950
2/18	Slide Conditions (Vicinity of 12th and Blaine, Spring 1951) 10 prints	1951
2/19	Traffic and Roads 22 prints Several images are from the California Highways and Public Works Division; these photographs show traffic and roads in Los Angeles, Petaluma, and Walnut Creek.	1952, n.d.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

City planning--Washington (State)--Seattle
Displays in education
Land use--Washington (State)--Seattle
Marinas--Washington (State)--Seattle

Corporate Names

King Street Station (Seattle, Wash.)
Seattle (Wash.). Planning Commission

Geographical Names

California
Kitimat (B.C.)
Seattle (Wash.)

Form or Genre Terms

Aerial photographs
Negatives
Photographic prints

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