“Railroads — real and imaginary, blessed and cursed — would accompany Seattle through all the stage of its rise to maturity, and make a grand spectacle along the way,” said Kurt Armbruster, a Seattle expert on Puget Sound railroads (1). Its success would not have been possible without the evolution of railroad stations. Therefore, the railroad stations in Seattle have important significance for the city and even the whole country. The history of railroad stations not only shows multifaceted changes in the overall architecture features of the city, it also directly reflects the city’s development, urban ideals, and the city’s perspective of itself in a regional and national context (MacIntosh 1). The United State has the largest railway network
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However, as the development of manufacturing, more goods needed to be transported to more places. Like most other would-be chief cities in the frontier west, Seattle intended to have a transcontinental railway connection. Seattleites were even more eager to have railroads than those of neighboring towns, because their aim was not only to transport the city’s abundant goods and natural resources, but to build a great city and confirm its future prosperity (Crowley, MacIntosh 3). However, building railroads is a long and arduous process in the Seattle’s …show more content…
It was a two-story building with impressive structure, designed by Charles A. Reed and Allen H. Stem, who were creators of New York’s Grand Central Station. Its exterior style is a typical “Railroad Italianate” with several classical details. If people saw it from a distance, the most conspicuous feature was its tall campanile. It used to be the tallest building in Seattle at that time until the Smith Tower was built in 1914. Compared with previous stations, rather that just an unloading point for cargoes, it emphasizing more on passengers. Although it was not so luxurious, its hospitable waiting area greatly improved passengers’ satisfaction, which was an extremely important support for railroads
However, as the development of manufacturing, more goods needed to be transported to more places. Like most other would-be chief cities in the frontier west, Seattle intended to have a transcontinental railway connection. Seattleites were even more eager to have railroads than those of neighboring towns, because their aim was not only to transport the city’s abundant goods and natural resources, but to build a great city and confirm its future prosperity (Crowley, MacIntosh 3). However, building railroads is a long and arduous process in the Seattle’s …show more content…
It was a two-story building with impressive structure, designed by Charles A. Reed and Allen H. Stem, who were creators of New York’s Grand Central Station. Its exterior style is a typical “Railroad Italianate” with several classical details. If people saw it from a distance, the most conspicuous feature was its tall campanile. It used to be the tallest building in Seattle at that time until the Smith Tower was built in 1914. Compared with previous stations, rather that just an unloading point for cargoes, it emphasizing more on passengers. Although it was not so luxurious, its hospitable waiting area greatly improved passengers’ satisfaction, which was an extremely important support for railroads