Ross Shire Hotel during 6th Avenue regrade, 1914
The Engineering Department (SED) maintained the City's streets and bridges, designed and oversaw construction of public works projects, provided traffic and transportation planning, and operated the sewer and solid waste utility. The position of City Surveyor was created in 1873 to survey the City, establish boundaries and street grades, and administer condemnation processes. This position was renamed City Engineer in 1890. In 1931 the Engineering Department absorbed part of the Department of Public Utilities and in 1936 it assumed the responsibilities of the Department of Streets and Sewers and the Traffic Department. In 1997, the water, solid waste, drainage, and wastewater utilities from the Engineering and Water departments were merged with the Engineering Services Division of SED and the Customer Service Call Center and Construction Engineering Sections of City Light to form Seattle Public Utilities. The traffic and transportation functions of the Engineering Department were consolidated in the Seattle Transportation Department.
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.
Records are open to the public.
[Title of image, date. Item number.] Seattle Engineering Department Negatives, Record Series 2613-07. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.