Organised chronologically starting with the earliest losses and ending with the latest, the book features much-loved insitutions that failed to stand the test of time, along with old-fashioned hotels and sports facilities that needed to be updated or built over.

Buildings erected for the World's Fair Exposition are included in the book, along with movie theaters that the age of television made redundant.

Losses include: Cable cars, Denny Hill, the Washington Hotel, the Fox Theater, Golden Potlatch, the losses of the Great Seattle Fire, Hotel Seattle, Jackson Ridge, Japantown, Joseph Mayer clock factory, Kalakala (Ferry), Kingdome, Carnegie Central Library, Longacres Racetrack, Luna Park, Moran Brothers’ Shipyards, Yesler Mansion, mud flats, the Waterfront Streetcar, and the Wawona (Schooner).