Yesterday, we asked you to guess where this tricky, triangular intersection is located. Commenter Fnarf was correct in his guess: Westlake Avenue and Olive Way.
Photo: Seattle Municipal Archives You may have had a little trouble picturing yourself in this intersection — because it has fundamentally changed between 1949 and now. The most notable change, of course, is that there has been no corner of Westlake Avenue and Olive Way since 2010, when ground broke on McGraw Square — but back in 1949, Westlake went back even further. In the original photo, you can see clear down Westlake Avenue to 4th Avenue and Pike Street, to the current home of RN74. Now, you can just see Westlake Center, which opened in 1988. A more perfect angle for the "after" view would be hovering above Westlake Avenue right before it truncates at Stewart.
Given how much this view has changed in the past 65 years, it seems barely significant that the Seattle Center Monorail and the South Lake Union streetcar have both been added since then, in 1962 and 2007, respectively.
Check back Thursday for the next round of Cornerspotter. And if you've got a great idea or image for the next one, feel free to send it our way.
· Cornerspotter archives [Curbed Seattle]