George Frederick Frye

George Frederick Frye
1910 portrait
Born(1833-06-15)June 15, 1833[1]
Drachenburg, Germany[1]
DiedMay 2, 1912(1912-05-02) (aged 78)[2]
Seattle, Washington, U.S.[2]
Burial placeLake View Cemetery
Occupations
  • Businessman
  • member of the Seattle City Council
  • captain of the J. B. Libby steamer
  • construction supervisor for Hotel Barker[3]
Years active1853–1912
OrganizationThe Pioneers Association[4]
Known forOne of Seattle's first developers and businessmen. Developed a number of businesses in the city and contributed to the city's layout by building the Frye Opera House, the Hotels Stevens and Barker, and the Hotel Frye.
Political partyRepublican[5]
SpouseLouisa C. Denny (married 1860 – 1912)[3]
Children6[6]

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 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 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 at the age of sixteen and survived the 1846–1860 cholera pandemic. He was one of the first people to volunteer to serve during the Indian war in 1855.

  1. ^ a b Hanford 1924, v.I, p. 25.
  2. ^ a b Pollard 1937, v.III, p. 3.
  3. ^ a b Hanford 1924, v.I, p. 27.
  4. ^ Hanford 1924, v.I, p. 28.
  5. ^ Bagley 1916, v. II, p. 723.
  6. ^ Hanford 1924, v.I, pp. 28-29.