George Frederick Frye (June 15, 1833 – May 2, 1912) was one of Seattle's first developers and businessmen and an active City Council member. He played a significant role in Seattle's conversion from a small settlement into a modern city. Frye developed bakery, butcher, and lumber businesses in the city. With Seattle founders

Arthur A. Denny Arthur Armstrong Denny (June 20, 1822 – January 9, 1899) was one of the founders of Seattle, Washington,, Special Collections, Washington State Historical Society (WSHS). Accessed online 8 March 2008. the acknowledged leader of the pioneer Den ...

and Henry L. Yesler, he established the first sawmill and grist mill of the city. Frye erected a number of significant Seattle buildings. His first building was the Frye Opera House, which burned down during the

Great Seattle Fire The Great Seattle Fire was a fire that destroyed the entire central business district of Seattle, Washington on June 6, 1889. The conflagration lasted for less than a day, burning through the afternoon and into the night, and during the same sum ...

in 1889. On its site, Frye erected a new five-story brick building, Hotel Stevens. At the site of the Frye family house, he erected Hotel Barker. One of Frye's most-known buildings was his last one: the eleven-story fireproof Hotel Frye. Frye crossed the

American Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and ...

at the age of sixteen and survived the

1846–1860 cholera pandemic The third cholera pandemic (1846–1860) was the third major outbreak of cholera originating in India in the nineteenth century that reached far beyond its borders, which researchers at UCLA believe may have started as early as 1837 and lasted ...

. He was one of the first people to volunteer to serve during the

Indian war Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

in 1855.

Early life

Frye was born on June 15, 1833, in Drachenburg, Germany (near

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

). His parents were Otto Frye and Sophia Frye (Pranga), both German citizens and members of the

Lutheran church Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

. Frye's father participated in local municipal affairs and was a

burgomaster Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, literally "master of the town, master of the borough, master of the fortress, master of the citizens") is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief m ...

in his native community. Otto and Sophia had ten children; George outlived all of his nine siblings.

Immigration and the journey to Oregon

In 1849, at the age of sixteen, Frye sailed to America. He lived for three years with his sister in

Lafayette County, Missouri Lafayette County is a county in the western portion of Missouri, part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 33,381. Its county seat is Lexington. The county was organized November 16, 1820 from Cooper ...

, working on a farm. In 1852, he took off for

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. With a group of about 100 people, Frye crossed the Great American Plains driving his own ox team. Frye's party started their journey around May 7th, equipped with mule and ox teams. According to multiple sources, Frye was good at handling his ox team and was helpful to others on the road. With a fellow traveler, Thomas Prather, Frye was obliged to look after the leaders' (Judge Gilmore Hayes and Andrew Cowan) gold pieces and newly purchased cattle. A

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

epidemic complicated the trip, killing around 40 people. Frye also suffered from it, though he was not as sick as others. He was dedicated to his post and kept driving his team. By October, they reached

The Dalles, Oregon The Dalles is the largest city of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The population was 16,010 at the 2020 census, and it is the largest city on the Oregon side of the Columbia River between the Portland Metropolitan Area, and Hermiston ...

. Frye continued his journey to

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

to spend the winter.

Life and Career in Seattle

In spring of 1853, with travel mates Hillary Butler (for whom the

Butler Hotel The Butler Hotel or Hotel Butler in Seattle, Washington, was one of Seattle's leading hotels in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.(Anonymous), "The Late Hotel Butler", '' Seattlife'', April 1939. Page unknown, this was in a clipping file o ...

was named) and Thomas Prather, Frye moved to

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. European ...

. Shortly after they arrived in Seattle, a small settlement at the time. They worked in the logging business briefly, and then Frye was hired by

Henry Yesler Henry Leiter Yesler (December 2, 1810 – December 16, 1892) was an entrepreneur and a politician, regarded as a founder of the city of Seattle. Yesler served two non-consecutive terms as Mayor of Seattle, and was the city's wealthiest resident ...

to work in the mill, where he stated for three or four years. Frye became one of the first Seattle businessmen. His first business purchase was Terry's (of Terry & Green) Eureka Bakery in 1869, which he soon sold. Frye opened the first meat market in Seattle, and, together with

and H. L. Yesler, established the first sawmill and grist mill. Around the same time, he worked in the transportation business as captain of the ''J. B. Libby'' (the early

Sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

steamer) with a side job delivering mail from Seattle to Whatcom. He was an active member of the City Council and supported the Republican political party. He was credited as founder of Seattle's first brass band, and even acted as the first Santa Claus during one of the earliest Christmas celebrations in the city. He was a charter member and trustee of the Pioneers Association. In 1855, Frye was one of the first volunteers to actively serve in the

Frye's architectural legacy

Frye's first building, and the first building in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

deserving a name, was the Frye Opera House. This building was a meeting place for organizations, including the "Opera House Party" during the times of Anti-Chinese agitation in America. It held valuable papers, such as the records of the first days of Seattle Lodge No. 92

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

, which were burnt along with the building during the

of 1889. Soon after fire destroyed the building, Frye, despite being ill, announced he had let the contract for a new opera house. Frye decided to build a five-story brick structure–the Hotel Stevens, on the site of the burnt building. Another of Frye's buildings was the family house on the corner of Pike Street and 6th Avenue. The Frye family occupied it for forty years, until the house was razed in 1905. In its place, Frye erected a seven-story brick and terra cotta building of steel construction: the Hotel Barker, also known as the "M and A Building" in honor of Frye's deceased sons, Marion and Arthur. The building fronted Pike Street and had a private alley at the rear. On the inside, it had modern fire stairs, passenger and freight elevators, a basement under the first-floor stores, and single rooms that could be connected into suites on demand. Another of Frye's biggest contributions to the city and personal achievements was his last building, the eleven-story fireproof Hotel Frye (also known as the Louisa C. Frye Building in honor of Frye's wife). Construction began in 1908 on the 3rd Avenue South and

Yesler Way Yesler Way is an east–west street in Seattle named for Henry Yesler, the founder of Seattle. East–west streets in Seattle south of Yesler Way are prefixed "South"; avenues are suffixed with "South" as they cross Yesler Way. The street origina ...

, in cooperation with architects Bebb & Mendel, who had worked on the Hotel Barker. At the age of seventy-seven Frye personally supervised construction. He had been determined to build it for years, though had been held back by other 3rd Avenue property owners. The building opened on April 6, 1911. For some time, Frye was a co-owner of the Northern Hotel together with another Seattle founder,

Personal life

George Frye married Louisa Catherine Denny, daughter of

, on October 25, 1860, in Seattle. In their early married life, the couple lived in a cabin situated on the site of the future Stevens Hotel. Thereafter, Frye built their home on Pike Street, where forty years later the Hotel Barker was erected. In 1911, the couple celebrated their 50th marriage anniversary as one of the first couples to have been married in Seattle. The Fryes had six children: James Marion, who died in 1905, leaving a wife and two children; Mary Louisa, the widow of Captain George H. Fortson of Seattle; Sophie Sarah, the wife of Daniel Waldo Bass; George Arthur, who died in 1892; Roberta Gertrude, the wife of Paul H. Watt and mother of children; and Elizabeth Helen, the wife of Virgil Newton Bogue. After a brief illness caused by pneumonia, George Frye passed away at his home in Seattle on May 2, 1912, at the age of 79. He left a will that was admitted to probate on May 8, 1912. Frye divided part of his fortune between his children and left the rest to his widow.

References

Literature cited

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Frye, George Frederick People from Seattle History of Seattle Seattle City Council members American city founders 1833 births 1912 deaths Deaths from pneumonia in Washington (state)