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Seattle Apartment Operators' Association records, 1924-1957

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Seattle Apartment Operators' Association
Title
Seattle Apartment Operators' Association records
Dates
1924-1957 (inclusive)
Quantity
.21 linear feet, (1 box)
Collection Number
1000-015
Summary
This collection contains correspondence, records and ephemera relating to the Seattle Apartment Operators' Association and their varied activities. The bulk of the collection is centered on the business dealings of Donald C. Haas, organizer and long-time participant in the Association.
Repository
Seattle Public Library, Special Collections
1000 Fourth Ave.
Seattle, WA 98104-1109
Telephone: 206-386-4636
specialcollections@spl.org
Access Restrictions

Collection is open and available for use.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

The Seattle Apartment Operators' Association was organized in 1924 to guide Seattle's apartment industry. The Association was involved in legislative activity on the local, state and federal level, particularly as it related to rent control, which they staunchly opposed.

One of the original organizers of the group was Donald C. Haas (1905-1992). Haas held every office within the organization, starting as assistant secretary and eventually serving as president on the local and state level, and was on the executive committee of the national association. Haas started in apartment operations in Seattle as owner of the Fionia, Harvard, Liberty Court, Hollywood, and Chelan apartments. The Seattle Apartment Operators' Association is now known as the Washington Landlord Association.

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Content Description

The bulk of this collection consists of correspondence, including telegrams, to and from Donald C. Haas. A small set of correspondence pre-dates the establishment of the Association and relates to J.C. Haas, father of Donald C. Haas. Meeting minutes, speeches and reports, much of it directed towards the cause of eliminating rent control, are included. Correspondence includes communication between Haas and the offices of Warren G. Magnuson and Harry P. Cain, U.S. Senators from Washington. Examples of legal documents include a rental agreement and contracts. In the Miscellaneous Documents folder is Apartment Journal, a publication dated December 1952-January 1953, which includes photos of the trustees and staff of the Seattle Apartment Operators' Association.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions apply.

Preferred Citation

[ITEM DESCRIPTION], Seattle Apartment Operators' Association records, Seattle Public Library, Seattle, WA.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The records are arranged alphabetically by material type.

Acquisition Information

Collection was purchased in 2017.

Processing Note

Acknowledgement of Harmful Content
The Seattle Public Library Special Collections Department is committed to creating an inclusive archive that documents the history of our diverse communities in a respectful manner. Our collections include historic materials that may contain images and outdated language which can be harmful due to issues such as racism, colonialism, sexism and homophobia. This content can provide important insight into the creator and context of the historic materials but can also reveal hurtful biases and prejudices.

We may decide to use or retain harmful language in our description when the terms have been used by the creator(s) of the materials to describe themselves or their community; when we have reused description created by the donor; when we have transcribed information directly from the materials; and when using national standards such as Library of Congress Subject Headings, which allow for standardized searching and retrieval of records. When including language from the original material in our finding aids or descriptions, we will indicate that this material comes directly from the original item by putting the language in quotes or prefacing it with a note that says the description is transcribed from the item or provided by the creator.

We will continually review our finding aids to identify harmful language and encourage you to contact us at specialcollections@spl.org if you find language that causes concern.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

  • Description: Business cards
    Dates: undated
    Container: Box 1, Folder 1
  • Description: Congressional Record
    Dates: 1950
    Container: Box 1, Folder 2
  • Description: Contracts
    Dates: 1932; 1950
    Container: Box 1, Folder 3
  • Description: Correspondence from Donald C. Haas
    Dates: 1930-1953
    Container: Box 1, Folder 4
  • Description: Correspondence to Donald C. Haas
    Dates: 1927-1957
    Container: Box 1, Folder 5
  • Description: Correspondence, J.C. Haas
    Dates: 1916-1923
    Container: Box 1, Folder 6
  • Description: Legal documents
    Dates: 1939-1955
    Container: Box 1, Folder 7
  • Description: Miscellaneous documents
    Dates: 1942-1957
    Container: Box 1, Folder 8
  • Description: Receipts
    Dates: 1928-1953
    Container: Box 1, Folder 9
  • Description: Rental agreements, notices
    Dates: 1950-1952
    Container: Box 1, Folder 10
  • Description: Speeches, reports, minutes
    Dates: circa 1946-1954
    Container: Box 1, Folder 11

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Apartment houses--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Apartments--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Dwellings--Washington (State)--Seattle--Maintenance and repair
  • Landlord and tenant--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Rent control--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Rental housing--Law and legislation--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Rental housing--Washington (State)--Seattle

Personal Names

  • Cain, Harry P. (Harry Pulliam), 1906-1979--Records and correspondence
  • Hass, Donald C.
  • Magnuson, Warren G. (Warren Grant), 1905-1989

Corporate Names

  • Seattle Apartment Operators' Association
  • Washington Landlord Association
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