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The "Steam Plant"

The Duck Dodge on Lake Union
Seattle, WA
The Beginning
In 1905, City Light
in Seattle built the first of its hydroelectric dams in Cedar Falls, the nation's first
municipally owned hydroelectric project. The city was growing rapidly and to address the
demand for power, approval was given in 1910 to increase the dam's generating capacity and
construct a new hydroelectric plant within the city. While financing for the Steam Plant
was secured, another solution was needed to address the city's immediate power needs. The
solution they found was the Hydro House.
The Hydro House (originally called the Power House) was
introduced and built in less than 11 months on the shores of Lake Union at a cost of
approximately $30,000. |

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The original Hydro House, 1914.
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In 1908, the site for the Steam Plant was chosen. It was located
on a wedge shaped property at the intersection of Fairview Avenue East and Eastlake Avenue
East on the southeast shore of Lake Union, a historical industrial area in Seattle. The
Steam Plant is constructed on top of 2,000 wooden pilings driven into the shoreline of
Lake Union. |
Steam Plant site on Lake Union, 1914. |
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