Jeepers creepers! World War II was a pivotal period in history for Seattle. The success of Boeing brought jobs and unprecedented growth, making the city a national leader in industrial production. While some did the jitterbug, tens of thousands of military personnel and defense workers passed through Seattle, often deciding to make the beautiful city a permanent home. Here’s a photo journey back in time to Seattle in the 1940s.
The Washington Athletic Club, ca. 1945
Photo: Seattle Public Library
In the 1940s, the Washington Athletic Club (WAC) mobilized its members to help fight World War II at home. In its “Victory Center” — which took up the entire seventh floor — women sewed, knit, spun, weaved and made surgical dressings. According to the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, in 1945 ownership of the clubhouse building was transferred to the membership at a price of $1,350,000. By 1950, the WAC was recognized as one of the most progressive athletic clubs in the nation, employing some 300 people and serving between 1,200 and 1,500 meals a day.
The Seattle Public Library, 1941
Photo: Seattle Public Library
In the hysteria following the attacks on Pearl Harbor, Seattle participated in one of the worst violations of constitutional rights in American history: the expulsion and internment of 12,892 persons of Japanese ancestry from Washington State. In a small act of solidarity in 1942, the Seattle Public Library sent 500 books to regional Japanese internment camps.
The Seattle business district, 1949
Photo: Seattle Public Library
This is a panoramic view of Seattle’s business district from 3rd Avenue and Cherry Street looking northeast.
First cable car, 1941
Photo: Seattle Public Library
Seattle’s first cable car was unveiled in 1889 by Frank Osgood. Seattle ran its municipal streetcar system until 1940, when the popularity of the automobile made it obsolete. Many citizens protested, but the city nevertheless began tearing up the tracks to make the streets smoother for cars.
The Van Asselt Schoolhouse, ca. 1940
Photo: Seattle Public Library
This little schoolhouse was erected on Seattle pioneer Henry Van Asselt’s homestead in 1862. This photo features his descendants admiring the property shortly before it was demolished in 1940.
The Alki fireboat, 1940
Photo: Seattle Municipal Archives
The Alki fireboat, a 123-foot-long fireboat built in 1927, is said to have originally been powered by 16 gasoline engines; they were replaced in 1947 with diesel Navy surplus engines. This photo features the fireboat with the Smith Tower in the background.
City Light display, 1940
Photo: Seattle Municipal Archives
In 1902, Seattle residents approved a $590,000 bond issue to develop a hydroelectric facility on the Cedar River. It was the beginning of public power in Seattle. Public and private systems would compete in the city until 1951, when the nation’s first municipally owned hydro project came to fruition.
The 4th Avenue Drive-in, 1940
Photo: Seattle Municipal Archives
Before there was Dick’s Drive-in, there was the 4th Avenue Drive-in.
Our Lady of the Lake Catholic church, 1941
Photo: Seattle Public Library
Famous for his contribution to shaping northwest-style architecture, architect Paul Thiry designed this church on Lake Washington. Thiry is credited as the principal architect of the 1962 World’s Fair, several buildings on the University of Washington campus and many Seattle residential projects.
Rainier School, ca. 1942
Photo: Seattle Public Library
The Rainier School opened in 1891 with 422 pupils in grades one to eight. The building remained a school until 1940, and then reopened in 1942 to house an aircraft assembly program aimed at training workers for World War II production. According to Historylink, classes in sheet metal and subassembly work were held in three shifts almost around the clock, and graduates went on to jobs at Boeing. In 1943, the building became the Building Trades unit of Edison Technical School. It was closed in 1957 because it had become a fire hazard, and was demolished to make room for a new building with six woodworking shops.
