St. Edward's Chapel held the northwest corner of Columbia Street and Terry Avenue between 1904 and 1912. It served as the temporary sanctuary for the Catholic see during the development and construction of St. James Cathedral. Cathedral School, which took the place of St. Edward's, still holds the corner.

PAUL DORPAT

IN WHAT MAY BE the single surviving photograph of the two together, here stand the Cathedral and the pro-Cathedral — the former towering above and behind the latter. (The contrast is made the more impressive by the Cathedral dome. It collapsed under the "big snow" of 1916.)

As its name suggests, the "pro-Cathedral" was built before the main one as a temporary home for worship while St. James Cathedral was being constructed. It was designed by James Stephen, a Seattle architect better known for the many plans he created for public schools during his term as the official school architect for Seattle Public Schools during the first years of the 20th century.

Of course, the Catholic pro-Cathedral also had a proper name. A century ago — this coming Saturday, Nov. 13 — Bishop O'Dea dedicated St. Edward's with "full rites of dedication" not typical for a sanctuary so small and short-lived. It was named for the English king who was canonized in 1008, with the added connotation that the bishop's first name was Edward and the martyred monarch was his patron saint.

Edward O'Dea moved his see from Vancouver to Seattle in 1903. By then Seattle was established as the center of Washington state urbanity and the more likely site for the construction and financing a Catholic cathedral for the region.

About 200 parishioners attended the dedication of St. Edward's pro-Cathedral. Only a year later (less one day) on Nov. 12, 1905, an estimated 5,000 were on hand to watch their bishop bending beside a temporary altar to help with the laying of the St. James cornerstone. The Cathedral was itself dedicated in 1907, and five years later the pro-Cathedral was razed and replaced with the Cathedral School seen here in the "now."

Paul Dorpat specializes in historical photography and has published several books on early Seattle.