Court Engineering Records

Series

Identifier: 2608-05

Staff Only

Scope and Contents note

Records related to condemnations for regrades, street widening, sewers, and street extensions; damage suits; appeals from assessment rolls; land surveys in the Cedar River Watershed and the area around Newcastle for a water reservoir; and court work related to bridges, city facilities, and arterial highways. Records include annual reports, maps, drawings, reports, and correspondence. Documentation of legal proceedings and legislative history is also included in some cases. Also included are photographs of University Way, Lake Union, Cedar River watershed and other scenes. Of note are records documenting the proposal to building a bridge from Seward Park to Mercer Island in the 1920s, Railroad Avenue seawall plans, a report on the South Sewer Tunnel from 1925, maps pertaining to the dredging of the Duwamish River dating from 1917 to 1927 and negotiations between the City and railroad companies in several parts of the City. Legal issues associated with several bridges and viaducts are well documented, including: the West Spokane Street Bridge Number 1, the Spokane Street Drawbridge, the University Bridge and the Albro Place Viaduct. Other subjects include bridge construction, extension of the sewer system, the Cedar River watershed and pipelines, Tolt River water system project, street and highway construction, and railroad right-of-way negotiations.

Dates

Creation: 1890-1982

Creator

Seattle (Wash.). Engineering Dept. (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access note

Records are open to the public.

Historical Note

The Engineering Department (SED) maintained the City's streets and bridges, designed and oversaw construction of public works projects, provided traffic and transportation planning, and operated the sewer and solid waste utility. The position of City Surveyor was created in 1873 to survey the City, establish boundaries and street grades, and administer condemnation processes. This position was renamed City Engineer in 1890. In 1931 the Engineering Department absorbed part of the Department of Public Utilities and in 1936 it assumed the responsibilities of the Department of Streets and Sewers and the Traffic Department. In 1997, the water, solid waste, drainage, and wastewater utilities from the Engineering and Water departments were merged with the Engineering Services Division of SED and the Customer Service Call Center and Construction Engineering Sections of City Light to form Seattle Public Utilities. The traffic and transportation functions of the Engineering Department were consolidated in the Seattle Transportation Department.