THE SEATTLE OPEN HOUSING DEBATE, 1963

The linked audio tapes provided exclusively to TheBlackPast.org by the Seattle Municipal Archives chronicle the story of Open Housing in Seattle.  The tapes linked below are of the Open Housing Hearing conducted by the Seattle City Council on October 23, 1963. 

These audio tapes are part of a larger website project and traveling exhibition being developed by the Archives for 2007.  The project, “Seattle in the 1960s: Open Housing Legislation,” makes available to the public selected documents, photographs and audio material that will describe the debates surrounding open housing legislation enacted in 1963 and 1968.

 

The following are links to materials that provide background for the audio tapes you will hear:

History of the Seattle Open Housing Campaign, 1959-1968
Timeline: The Seattle Open Housing Debate, 1948-1968
Minutes of the Open Housing Hearing before the Seattle City Council Sitting as the Committee of the Whole, October 23, 1963 (PDF)
Log of Speakers, Open Housing Hearing, October 23, 1963 (PDF)

NOTE: These audio links are MP3 files and may be played with Windows Media Player, Quicktime, or Real Player and will usually play within your web browser.

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Section 1

Gavel (Miller), Miller - intro
Wing Luke to Chair
Wing Luke - ground rules, Clerk (Hyde) reading petitions
Clerk (Hyde) reading petitions part 2
Clerk (Hyde) reading petitions part 3
Clerk (Hyde) reading petitions part 4
Clerk (Hyde) reading petitions, A. Westberg
A. Westberg: part 2
A. Westberg, Kenneth Colman, John Hurst Adams
John Hurst Adams, Ernest Barth
Ernest Barth, John Lynch
John Lynch part 2

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Section 2

John Lynch, David Sprague
David Sprague, Ben Weeks
Been Weeks, Lawrence Northwood
Lawrence Northwood part 2
Lawrence Northwood part 3
Lawrence Northwood, Dale Turner
Dale Turner, Everett Jensen
Everett J. Jensen part 2
Everett J. Jensen, Tak Kubota, Fred Dore
Fred Dore part 2
Norman Hirsch, Donald Kruzner
Donald Kruzner, Elinor Webb, Alvin Zionist
Alvin Zionist part 2

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Section 3

SS Skips to John Lowe (p. 4) and R. E. Oestreich 1
R. E. Oestreich, S.R. Franklin
S.R. Franklin, Earl Ecklund
Earl Ecklund, Kenneth Chaney
Kenneth Chaney, Fred Mercy
Fred Marcy part 2
H. Pruzan
H. Pruzan part 2
H. Pruzan, Dana Brown, John Blount
John Blount, C. Belknap
C. Belknap, Eileen Meacham
Eileen Meacham V. Bacho

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Section 4

Kurt Heilbut, Scott Elder, Edward Ross
Edward Ross , Lloyd Olson, Newbould (Asst. Corp. Counsel)

*end of public testimony*

Newbould part 2
Newbould, Mayor Clinton, Newbould on process, Discussion Sec. 1 4-5
Discussion Sec. 2, Sec. 3, Sec. 4
Discussion Sec. 4,5
Discussion Sec. 6,7

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Section 5

return to testimony p. 3 Perrino, John Gordon
Ralph Stevens, Se moor Kaplan
Se moor Kaplan Milton Karr
Milton Karr, Jacob Singer, David York, Mrs. William Taylor
William Taylor, Lars Watson, C.A. Grosser
C.A. Grosser part 2
lunch, Orville Robertson, Harold Cooper
Harold Cooper part 2
Harold Cooper, Mrs. Olive Ziegler
Mrs. Olive Ziegler, Bob North
Bob North, Nancy McGhee, Herb Hunt
Herb Hunt, Jean Veldwyk
Jean Veldwyk, Robert Gans

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Section 6

Larry Camarillo, Win Luke rejoinder, Donald C. Haas
Donald C. Haas part 2
Donald C. Haas part 3
Donald C. Haas part 4
Jim Romerein
Jim Romerein part 2
Jim Romerein, Jas. Kelley, Thomas W. Miller
Thomas W. Miller part 2
Thomas W. Miller part 3
Thomas W. Miller, questions from Wing Luke, Herb Reichert
Herb Reichert, Floyd A. Jordan
Floyd A. Jordan, Doris Dowling