Areaway Records

Series

Identifier: 0605-01

Scope and Contents Note

Applications to construct and maintain areaways, along with an index listing areaways by street. Areaways are spaces under sidewalks between a building and the street. Property owners submitted an application and lease form to the Board of Public Works, agreeing to abide by requirements laid out in Ordinance 12022. Box 1 and Volume 1 consist of these applications, occasionally with supporting correspondence and drawings. Forms are mostly bound and chronological, with one folder of loose forms in various dates. Volume 2 lists areaways in the city, indexed by street. Each street's page includes date, permit number, indemnity file, address, legal description, property owner, and owner's address.

Dates

Creation: 1905-1921

Creator

Seattle (Wash.). Board of Public Works (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Records are open to the public.

Historical Note

The Board of Public Works was created to coordinate public works projects, to award construction contracts on behalf of the City, and to approve contractor’s bills. The Board also ensured that prevailing wages were paid on City projects. The Board was originally establish by the 1890 City Charter as a citizen group. The Charter of 1896 reorganized the Board and thereafter its members included the superintendents of City departments directly involved in public works. The Board was abolished by City Charter amendment in 1992 and its functions were assumed by the Department of Administrative Services.