From negative jacket, "Blds on 2nd Ave Regrade on Blanchard St. Feb. 14-05"
I believe this to be Seattle Washington, as many regrades were undertaken there.
From Wiki Article:
The Denney Regrade.
Around 1900, property owners along relatively low-lying First Avenue took it upon themselves to cut through from Pike Street to Cedar Street. A similar cut (but initiated by the City) lowered Second Avenue in 1904; around the same time, the south part of the hill was shaved off as Pike and Pine Streets were regraded between Second and Fifth Avenues.[6]