WAUSteinbrueckVictorUWCampusPHColl1113.xml Guide to the Victor Steinbrueck Photographs of the University of Washington Campus circa 1930s Steinbrueck (Victor) Photographs Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries © 2013 (Last modified: 4/19/2018)
Seattle, WA 98195
Finding aid written in English. Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard). University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections PH1113 Steinbrueck, Victor Victor Steinbrueck photographs of the University of Washington campus circa 1930s 20 negatives (1 box) 20 modern prints (1 folder) (1 box and 1 folder) ; 4''x5'' Collection materials are in English. Photographs of the University of Washington Campus, Seattle and the Seattle harbor by UW alumnus and architecture professor

Victor Steinbrueck was born in 1911 in Mandan, North Dakota and moved with his family to Washington in 1914. Steinbrueck attended the University of Washington, earning a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1935. He joined the faculty at the University of Washington in 1946 and taught until his retirement in 1976. He was the author of Seattle Cityscape (1962), Seattle Cityscape II (1973) and a collections of his drawings, Market Sketchbook (1968).

Victor Steinbrueck was Seattle's best known advocate of historic preservation. He led the battle against the city's redevelopment plans for the Pike Place Market in the 1960s. In 1959, the City of Seattle, together with the Central Association of Seattle, formulated plans to obtain a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) urban renewal grant to tear down the Market and everything else between First and Western, from Union to Lenora, in order to build a high rise residential, commercial and hotel complex. In response to these plans a group of supporters of the market and members of Allied Arts of Seattle, led by Victor Steinbrueck, formed Friends of the Market in 1964. Their efforts culminated in 1971 with a successful ballot initiative, the "People's Initiative," which established a seven-acre historic district around the market and a historical commission to oversee it, and thus saved the Market from demolition. Steinbrueck also helped lead the campaign in the 1960s that culminated in City Council passage of an ordinance which established the Pioneer Square Historic Preservation District.

In 1972 Steinbrueck was appointed to the Citizens Action Force (Citizen's Stadium Task Force) which was concerned with the impact of the proposed King Street stadium on the surrounding area. He became disillusioned and resigned from the group on August 29, 1972. He joined the Citizens Coalition For the Domed Stadium in a petition drive to put a stadium initiative on the ballot.

For many years Steinbrueck fought the city over its Westlake Mall development plans. The project, initially conceived as a park in the area surrounding the Westlake Monorail terminal in Seattle's central business district, went through numerous plans incorporating, at various times, an office tower, luxury hotel, art museum and retail space. After Charles Royer took office as Mayor and proposed a new version of the Westlake project in 1978, Steinbrueck became the most vocal critic of the plan and a spokesman for Committee for Alternatives at Westlake. In the fall of 1984, City Attorney Doug Jewett achieved an agreement among Steinbrueck, other opponents of the project, and the developers, which incorporated Steinbrueck's ideas for more open public space in the development.

Steinbrueck was also spokesman for the Downtown Neighborhood Alliance, a group which opposed Cornerstone Development's Waterfront Project, proposed for First Avenue in 1980. He also was involved with numerous small projects and controversies regarding public spaces and historic sites.

Steinbrueck died in 1985. After his death, Pike Place Park was named Victor Steinbrueck Park in his memory.

The collection consists of 20 photographs depicting University of Washington campus and the Seattle harbor while Victor Steinbrueck was attending University of Washington as an Architecture student 1930-1935.

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Processed by Heather Robbins; processing completed in 2012.

Steinbrueck, Victor--Photographs University of Washington--Photographs University of Washington--Students--Photographs Seattle (Wash.)--Photographs Photographs Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington) Colleges and Universities Student Life Photographs Seattle

 

Victor Steinbrueck, 1911-1985 1930-1935 1 1 Victor Steinbrueck seated at desk wearing University of Washington cardigan circa 1930-1935 1 2a Victor Steinbrueck working on sculpture of a figure circa 1934

Sculpture class was required for at least one quarter for architecture students in the 1930s. Dudley Pratt was the sculpture professor and based on the University of Washington's course catalog, it is probable that Victor Steinbrueck was enrolled in the course in 1934.

 1 2b Victor Steinbrueck working on sculpture of a figure circa 1934

Figure sculpture is same as pictured in a.

 1 3 Architecture student, probably Victor Steinbrueck, working on watercolor wash drawing circa 1931-1932

Photograph was probably taken during Steinbrueck's sophomore year at University of Washington. Most likely in the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exhibition Administration building.

 Scenes around University of Washington circa 1930-1935

Victor Steinbrueck had an interest in both photography, theater, and was a possible contributor to University of Washington Daily Newspaper while enrolled at University of Washington.

 University of Washington Theater Performance 1 4a Group of students performing on stage circa 1930-1935

Possibly a performance by University of Washington students in Glee Club or a drama or dance group.

 1 4b Group of students performing on stage circa 1930-1935

Same performance as indicated in a.

 1 5a Woman being kissed on forehead by a man in bowler hat while three women look on circa 1930-1935

Probably a play at University of Washington.

 1 5b Man in checkered vest holding a bowler hat circa 1930-1935

Man pictured is same as in item a.

 1 5c Man in checkered vest wearing a bowler hat circa 1930-1935

Man pictured is same as in item a and b.

 1 5d Side profile of man in checkered vest wearing a bowler hat circa 1930-1935

Man pictured is same as in item a, b, and c.

 1 6 Man, woman, and dog seated on couch on stage set at University of Washington circa 1930-1935

The stage set might have been located at the Playhouse Theater (now Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse) of University of Washington.

 University of Washington Dailynewspaper 1 7 University of Washington Dailynewspaper staff sleeping in chairs and on desks circa 1930-1935 1 8 University of Washington Dailynewspaper typewriters circa 1930-1935 1 9 Group of musicians on stage circa 1930-1935 1 10 Aerial view of walkways in the Liberal Arts Quad at University of Washington circa 1930-1935

Photograph was taken from either the attic (fourth floor) or the roof of Miller Hall, which was completed in 1922.

 1 11 Demolition of the Forestry Building of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. June 1930

The Forestry Building of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition was demolished in June 1930. Building pictured in the far left is Suzzallo Library. The building to the right in the photo is the south side of Miller Hall.

 1 12 Stadium stairs circa 1930-1935 Seattle 1 13 Smith Tower and streetlight circa 1930-1935 1 14 Seattle harbor docks and ship Hamlin F. McCormick circa 1930-1935 1 15 Seattle dockworkers standing next to shipHamlin F. McCormick circa 1930-1935