Overview of the Collection
Historical NoteThe position of City Surveyor was established in 1873 by City Charter; in 1890, the name of the position was changed to City Engineer. In 1931 the engineering functions performed for City Light were transferred to that department. The Office of Traffic Engineer was established by the Civil Service Commission in 1930 and was part of the Department of Streets and Sewers until 1936. The Streets and Sewers Department, along with Traffic, became part of the Engineering Department in March 1936 through a charter amendment. In 1955 the Seattle Sewer Utility was created by Ordinance 84390; the sewer utility was administered through the Engineering Department. The first director was appointed in 1959. In 1978, as part of a solid waste management program established by Resolution 25872, the Engineering Department was assigned the task of developing recycling and composting projects and programs. In 1980 the Recycling and Waste Reduction activities were initiated within the Engineering Department and a composting program was initiated. The department was called either the Engineering Department or the Department of Engineering through 1997, when it was abolished and its functions reorganized into the Transportation and Seattle Public Utilities Departments. List of City Engineers: H.J. Stevenson 1865; W.B. Hall 1875; R.L. Thorn 1875-1876; P.G. Eastwick 1876-1878; M.J. Costello 1878-1879; F.H. Whitworth 1879-1880; Joseph M. Snow 1882-1883; Reginald H. Thomson 1884-1885; Albro Gardner 1886-1887; John G. Scurry 1888-1890; M. Stixrud [1890?]; Albro Gardner 1890-1892; Reginald H. Thomson [1892-1911?]; Arthor H. Dimock 1911-1922; James D. Blackwell 1922-1927; William C. Morse 1927-1928; William D. Barkhuff 1928-1930; R.H. Thomson 1930-1931; Daniel W. McMorris 1931-1932; Melvin O. Syliaasen 1932-1934; Thomas R. Beeman 1934-1936; Nathaniel A. Carle 1936-1938; Charles L. Wartelle 1938-1947; C. G. Will, Acting 1947-1948; Ralph W. Finke 1948-1952; R.R. Hubbard, Acting 1952-1953; William F. Parker 1953-1947; Roy W. Morse 1957-1971; Robert J. Gulino 1971-1974; Paul A. Wiatrak 1974- Content DescriptionEngineering Reports date from 1899 to 1989. The earliest report for Engineering in this record series is 1899. The 1909 report of Refuse Destructor No. 1 is also included in this series. It includes composition of refuse, tons of refuse burned, temperature, and other statistics. The Engineering Department reports, often called the Report of the City Engineer, also include the Financial and Statistical reports for the Engineering Department, where they exist. The reports contain very detailed information on paving, sewers, bridges, construction, arterial design, and many other types of work. For example, reports in the 1930s contain information on WPA projects and the 1940 report contains photographs of the seawall constructed along Harbor Avenue Southwest. In cases where a separate financial and statistical report was published, which was primarily in the 1950s through the 1970s, these are included after the annual report. Traffic division reports exist for 1940-1975. These reports cover traffic surveys, traffic planning, design, signals, signs and markings, safety lighting, street name signs, directional signs, traffic regulation, and various graphs of traffic accidents and other information. Sewer Utility reports exist for 1956/1957 and 1958, and Recycling and Waste Reduction reports exist for the years 1983-1985. Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
Records are open to the public. Preferred Citation :[Item and date], Seattle Engineering Department Annual Reports, Record Series 1802-G2. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives. Administrative InformationDetailed Description of the CollectionThe following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
SubjectsThis collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
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