Old Seattle spots and what they are today

As the city develops into something almost unfamiliar to its longest residents, here's a look back at some of Seattle's most famous, infamous, or historic spots and what they've become. As the city develops into something almost unfamiliar to its longest residents, here's a look back at some of Seattle's most famous, infamous, or historic spots and what they've become. Photo: MOHAI, SEATTLEPI.COM File Photo: MOHAI, SEATTLEPI.COM File Image 1 of / 48 Caption Close Old Seattle spots and what they are today 1 / 48 Back to Gallery

Seattle has always been a land in flux, both literally and figuratively.

As white settlers turned it from a muddy peninsula on Elliott Bay into a bustling metropolis, they built it up, tore it down and did it over again. When it burned up, they built it again, this time with brick.

As the same time, the land itself has moved and shifted -- also with the help of us wily humans. When hills were too tall, Seattleites tore them down. When there was no water passage where they wanted one, they dug it up and lowered a lake's historic level in the process.

That flux is perhaps as visible today as it has ever been.

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Seattle has seen staggering growth in recent years, triggering no shortage of fights over old versus new, young versus old when it came to land, buildings and much more.

Along the way, a lot of places that once defined Seattle were cast aside, either to make way for progress or simply because they lost their flair.

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Sick's Stadium was one that simply lost its flair and its usefulness and, eventually, met its fate with a wrecking ball.

In Seattle's original neighborhood, Pioneer Square, things have changed but much remains the same. Old brick buildings are remodeled and repurposed but stand tall as groups try to hold the historic nature of the area.

We gathered some of the most notable Seattle spots from the city's history and compared archival images to what they are today. Click through the gallery to see them all and then leave your historic spots in the comments.

Daniel DeMay covers Seattle culture, business and transportation for seattlepi.com. He can be reached at 206-448-8362 or danieldemay@seattlepi.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Daniel_DeMay.