Site Report 2

1933 University Bridge - Joseph Koch

Old Seattle Apt. - Joseph koch

Seattle Topography 1925 - Joseph Koch

My block has not seen too much change throughout its history.  It has always been residential and there were no major land excavations or movements to suit its needs.  However, there is a major change in the size of the buildings and structures surrounding my block and directly on my block.  In the photos I have attached, one can clearly see that even just seventy to eighty years ago the buildings did not even come close to as tall as they are now in the University District.  This is because throughout time, Seattle has been expanding at a very fast rate.  Seattle is one of the fastest growing cities in the country and the difference between the skyline in the mid nineties and the skyline now is quite drastic.  In one of the photos you can see an old apartment complex in the University district.  This shows that even back when it was taken there was a need for housing that wasn’t just long term and that could accommodate lots of people in a little bit of space.  The university setting has always called for this, and when the University of Washington moved from its old space to its current location, the housing needed to develop rapidly to keep up with the demands.  In the photo of the old apartment complex, you can also see that the streets had been updated to accommodate lots of power and transportation.  Before the University of Washington caused the area to erupt with development there was no need for such large streets and cables for the cable cars.  Some of the houses in my block are still small, they appear to have been built sometime in the mid-late nineteen hundreds and I believe this is because the University is now just starting to spread out past West Campus and student housing is needed.