Alaska Trade Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Alaska Trade Building
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 Location in Seattle WA Downtown
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| Location | Seattle, Washington |
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| Built | 1909 |
| Architect | J.C. Taft |
| Architectural style | Industrial |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000871 |
| Added to NRHP | May 6, 1971 |
The Alaska Trade Building is a very old and important building in Seattle, Washington. It is also known as the Union Record Building or the Steele Building. You can find it on First Avenue, close to the famous Pike Place Market.
This building was finished in 1909. It was one of the first buildings in the area made with strong materials like reinforced steel, concrete, and brick. People said it was completely fireproof! The building is special because it was once home to the only daily newspaper in the country owned by a group of workers called a union. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's a very important historical site. The Butterworth Building, another historic place, is right next door.
What is the Alaska Trade Building?
The Alaska Trade Building was built by a contractor named James Steele in 1909. It replaced an older wooden building. A Seattle architect named J.C. Taft designed it. The building has a very simple, practical style with almost no fancy decorations.
Original plans showed a much taller building. It was supposed to be eight stories high. It would have had fancy granite and terra cotta decorations. But only the first four floors were ever built.
How Was the Building Used?
In 1910, two developers bought the unfinished building. Then, in 1915, a group called the Central Labor Council bought it. This council is a group that helps different trade unions work together. Trade unions are groups of workers who join together to protect their rights and improve their working conditions.
The Central Labor Council started a weekly newspaper in 1910. It was called The Seattle Union Record. In 1912, E.B. "Harry" Ault became the editor. He helped the paper grow a lot. By 1918, it became a daily newspaper.
The Seattle Union Record became very popular. Its circulation, or the number of copies printed, grew from 3,000 to 50,000. By 1919, it reached over 112,000 copies! Because the paper was growing so much, it needed a bigger space. So, in 1921, the newspaper moved into the Alaska Trade Building.
What Happened to the Newspaper?
In 1924, Dave Beck took charge of the Central Labor Council. He sold the newspaper to E.B. "Harry" Ault. The Seattle Union Record stopped printing in 1928. However, it had a very short return in 2000. This happened during strikes at the Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspapers.
Today, the third floor of the Alaska Trade Building is home to an office called Ecotope, Inc.
- Salinas-Aguila, Natalia. Seattle Union Record (1900-1928). Labor Press Project, 2001.
