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<p>Transcribed from photograph: "Public Library. 1896-1898. Third home of the Seattle Public Library. Rialto building. Second Ave. and Madison St. Built 1892."
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Date is probably later than SPL says. The library was there 1896-1899; there is no visible sign here for the library, so that does not help to date the photo. Picture shows signs for the Frederick and Nelson store; they moved into the Rialto in 1897. There are four (rather early) automobiles and no horses, which suggests a somewhat later date. Conversely, there is no fire escape on the south side, and there are still wooden utility poles in front of the store on Second Avenue, so it cannot be later than about 1910.</div>
circa 1896 <div style="display: none;">date QS:P571,+1896-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1480,Q5727902</div>
This file was contributed to Wikimedia Commons by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Seattle_Public_Library" class="extiw" title="w:en:Seattle Public Library"><span title="public library system serving Seattle, Washington">Seattle Public Library</span></a> as part of a cooperation project. The donation was facilitated by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Public_Library_of_America" class="extiw" title="w:Digital Public Library of America">Digital Public Library of America</a>, via its partner Northwest Digital Heritage.<span style="text-align:left">
<ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://cdm16118.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15015coll4/id/1290">Record in source catalog</a></li>
<li>DPLA identifier: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://dp.la/item/b4d2f454666ff6472519a48dd5e3cb7d">b4d2f454666ff6472519a48dd5e3cb7d</a></li>
<li>Seattle Public Library identifier: spl_shp_15402</li></ul></span>