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Building History

In 1895, the Great Northern Railway operated its main Seattle ticket office at 612 Front Street (later 1st Avenue) in the heart of the day's central business district, Pioneer Square. The railroad placed an advertisement in Polk's Seattle City Directory of 1895, listing 10 reasons for choosing the Great Northern line: "1st--Has a rock ballasted track, free from dust, and no sand deserts on the way. 2d--Owns and manages its entire equipment of palace sleeping and dining cars, buffet library cars, family tourist sleepers, coaches, etc. 3d--Furnished Pacific Coast passengers with daily through trains to and from St. Paul, with Union Depot connections to and from Chicagao, St. Louis, Sioux City, Omaha, Kansas City and all points South and East. 4th--Runs through the only belt across the continent possible of continuous settlement; a region abounding in agricultural, pastoral, timberal [sic] and mineral resources. 5th--Traverses the valleys of the Mississippi, Missouri and Columbia--America's largest rivers. 6th--Crosses the Rockies and Cascades--containing the most impressive mountain scenery--in daylight. 7th--Reaches important, pleasure, hunting and fishing resorts in the Northwestern and Pacific Coast states. 8th--Sells single and round trip tickets to all parts of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, China, Japan, Australia, Hawaii and Alaska. 9th--Gives stop-over privileges on round trip tickets, with choice of return route. 10th--Because you want all you can get for your money." The Great Northern offered travelers of 1895 comfortable, hotel-like amenities and could provide comprehensive travel arrangements not only for most US locations, but all around the world. This potential to book rail and nautical transport in one spot simplified global travel for Americans. The Great Northern also emphasized the temperate, picturesque locations it traveled through--arable land and beautiful rivers--and stressed how it timed travel through the most picturesque mountain passages during the day to maximize the traveler's enjoyment.

PCAD id: 5585