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Metropolitan Business College Records, 1910-1981

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Metropolitan Business College (Seattle, Wash.)
Title
Metropolitan Business College Records
Dates
1910-1981 (inclusive)
Quantity
8 boxes , (5 linear feet)
2 oversize scrapbooks
Collection Number
1991.25
Summary
Photographs, papers and scrapbooks related to the Metropolitan Business College in Seattle and the College's Upsilon Chapter of the Alpha Iota Sorority for businesswomen.
Repository
Museum of History & Industry, Sophie Frye Bass Library

P.O. Box 80816
Seattle, WA
98108
Telephone: 2063241126 x102
library@mohai.org
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public by appointment.

Languages
English.
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

The Metropolitan Business College began in 1889 as a small private business school called the Seattle Business College. The school was started by Josephine Hall and her husband in Seattle's Boston building, where it remained until 1891. Initially, the Seattle Business College taught only shorthand and typing, expanding its curriculum to include Bookkeeping, Accounting, Business Law, English and Mathematics after it was bought out by Acme Business College in 1894. Mrs. Hall sold her shares in the college to W.W. DeLong, who became the college president. The newly combined school was known as Seattle and Puget Sound College.

In 1915, the College became the property of the Metropolitan Building Company, moved into the White-Henry-Stuart building, and changed its name to the Metropolitan Business College. Florence G. Douglas, a sister of one of the company owners, served as president of the College until 1942. The College expanded under her tenure, adding fraternities and sororities, dormitories and a basketball team.

In 1941, the Metropolitan Building Company divested itself of the business college, which was then purchased by Herbert Phillips, who became president of the school. At that time, the school moved into the second floor of a new building at 414 Union Street at the corner of Fifth Avenue. During Phillips' tenure, the school expanded its curriculum to ten regular diploma courses. Phillips was President of the school for 34 years, till 1976 when the school was turned over to his stepson.

In late 1978, the Metropolitan Business College acquired the facilities of Auerswald Business University and moved all its classes to Auerswald's 1524 Fifth Ave. location. In 1986, Jana L. Cloward purchased the College and set out to modernize its equipment, curriculum and staff. The program expanded to comprise five diploma programs, in Accounting, Computer Application, Data Entry, Secretarial and Word Processing. The school's curriculum was designed to accommodate and provide training for its "Ability to Benefit" students--the approximately 80% of its student body who did not have a high school diploma. After operating for over a century at nine different locations under eight owners, the College closed in about 1990.

The Alpha Iota Sorority is an international honorary businesswomen's society. The Upsilon Chapter of the Alpha Iota Sorority was installed at Metropolitan Business College on July 26, 1930.

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Content Description

The collection includes Metropolitan Business College catalogs, brochures and newsletters; administrative, legal and financial papers; and advertisements and other promotional materials such as albums. A few narratives provide a historical background of the College.

The photographs, dated circa 1910-1980, include images of students, faculty and staff at the School, usually in offices or classroom. Students are depicted in classes such as typing, stenotype and business machine class. Members of the Phi Theta Pi Fraternity and Alpha Iota Sorority are depicted at installations, banquets and conclaves.

The Alpha Iota Sorority Historian's Books and Scrapbooks document the activities of the club and its members over an academic year and include photographs, meeting minutes, announcements, clippings and ephemera.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI before any reproduction use. The museum does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

Metropolitan Business College Records, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection has been arranged into four series: photographs, subdivided by photographer; textual materials; albums and other materials; and the records of the Upsilon Chapter of the Alpha Iota Sorority

Location of Collection

14a.1.5-8 (boxes)

Location of Collection

VII.b.4 (panorama photo)

Acquisition Information

The collection was donated by Ludwig-Gray International (liquidators) in 1991.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid prepared by Jody Hendrickson
2006

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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