PHOTO: JEN KELLY
Learn more about Pioneer Square’s history—visit www.trail2treasure.org and pick up a Trail to Treasure walking map at the Occidental Park Info Booth, or at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.
Pioneer Square Business Improvement Area, Metropolitan Improvement District, and The Alliance for Pioneer Square
historic preservation districts, thereby protecting the
igniting the conflagration that burned the city to the
heart and soul of Seattle—Pioneer Square. In 1970, Seattle created one of America’s first
or visit
Pioneer Square.org A PRESENTATION OF
FUNDED BY
MAP
ground. Undaunted, Seattle’s citizens rebuilt from the maker left a pot of glue unattended on a stove, And then on a fateful day in June of 1889, a furniture
PioneerSquare.org
+
GUIDE
superlative shopping
built Seattle and San Francisco. He brought a civilizing
July 17, 1897, with the arrival of a steamer
spirit to the new settlement, establishing its first store,
loaded with gold from Canada’s Klondike.
pharmacy, restaurant, hotel, hospital, casino, saloon,
The city became the provisioner for hordes of
and brothel (not necessarily in that order). It was also
“sourdough” prospectors, and the gold rush kick-
dressed in yellow and blue!
Maynard who suggested renaming the city-to-be after
started the influx that continues today as people
prominent Native American Chief Sealth.
from all over the world discover the charms and
For more information, call the MID hotline at:
s p e c t a c u l a r
s p o r t s
(206) 441-3303
w o r l d - c l a s s
c u i s i n e
delights of the Emerald City. Seattle’s fortune changed forever on “Underground Seattle” tour.
District Downtown Ambassador Booth or ask a Metropolitan Improvement Visit the Occidental Square Information
WANT TO KNOW WHAT EVENTS ARE HAPPENING DOWNTOWN?
extraordinar y enter tainment Amtrak stops at historic King Street Station in Pioneer Square. Commuter trains from Tacoma stop at Union Station.
BY TRAIN
the downtown area
Square. From this small group of Seattle’s founding
a full story in order to
families, two men cut from different cloth set the
fix a chronic, malodorous
course to cityhood: Arthur Denny was a hard-headed
problem that had plagued
entrepreneur and a teetotaling Republican, while
the city—backed-up plumbing.
BY CAR
David “Doc” Maynard was a Democrat, humanitarian,
This stranded many first-floor
and tippler (not necessarily in that order).
storefronts in the subterranean
Exit 164 off Interstate 5 or the Fourth Ave Exit off Interstate 90. Access off Alaskan Way Viaduct (Route 99)
realm that you can now explore in an
Discover Seattle’s Historic
A 10-minute walk from Pike Place Market or a 15-20 minute walk from Downtown Retail Core
BY FOOT
ashes, elevating
Part of Seattle’s Ride-Free Zone (including the Downtown bus tunnel to Pioneer Square Station and the International District Station)
BY METRO
PIONEER SQUARE IS SEATTLE’S MOST ACCESSIBLE NEIGHBORHOOD!
DISCOVER
Over the next decade, Seattle grew to 3,500 souls. converted old-growth forests into the lumber that donated property for a steam-powered mill that Maynard gave Seattle its first industry when he the eastern shore of Elliott Bay—what is now Pioneer In 1852, two dozen intrepid souls found shelter on
?
The Heart & Soul of Seattle
Pioneer Square:
NEED HELP FINDING A DESTINATION? YESLER WAY
PIONEER PLACE
F A L L E N F I R E F I G H T E RS’ MEMORIAL
PHOTO: GIANLUCA SIRRI
world-class cuisine
extraordinar y enter tainment
superlative shopping
spectacular spor ts
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PHOTO: SCOTT B PHOTO: PAUL PEPERA
This triangular park marks Seattle’s first permanent settlement. The totem pole was added in 1890, after an expedition of drunken city fathers stole it from a Tlingit Native American village up the coast. When an arsonist destroyed the pole in 1938, the city sent $5,000 to pay the Tlingits to carve a replacement. Legend has it that the cashed check bore this note: “Thanks for finally paying for the first one, however, a new pole will cost another $5,000!” The Pioneer Building was voted the “finest building west of Chicago” by the American Institute of Architects in 1892. It was designed by Elmer Fisher, who designed more than 50 buildings in Pioneer Square, all constructed after the Great Fire of 1889. As a result, Pioneer Square is considered to have the largest concentration of Victorian-Romanesque architecture in the country. In 1905, Pioneer Place’s ornate Pergola was built to shelter passengers waiting for the cable car, which once trundled up and down Yesler Way.
Yesler Way is the main east-west corridor through the Pioneer Square neighborhood. During Seattle’s early years, it served as the northern border of Doc Maynard’s original claim, commonly known as “Maynardtown,” where low entertainment and vice were long tolerated. The phrase “Skid Road,” or “Skid Row”—originally a logging term—was first coined in Pioneer Square. When Henry Yesler built the area’s first steam-powered lumber mill, the strip was used as a logging “skid”; trees cut down on the hill above were “skidded” down a series of parallel greased logs to the Yesler saw mill on the bay.
This dramatic monument features life-size bronze sculptures of firefighters valiantly battling to save lives and property, flanked by slabs of granite that feature the names of 37 Seattle firefighters who have died in the line of duty. The Seattle Fire Department was founded in 1889, just after the Great Fire that razed the city. The memorial was created by Hai Ying Wu, a graduate of the University of Washington.
WATERFALL PARK
OCCIDENTAL SQUARE & PEDESTRIAN WALK PHOTO: FRANK J. WOJCIK
SMITH TOWER When opened on July 4, 1914, the Smith Tower was the tallest building in the world, outside of Manhattan! Built by Cornelius Smith—a gun and typewriter tycoon whose initials still adorn the door handles—its tower was designed to be reminiscent of the bell tower in Venice’s Piazza San Marco. Within, brass elevators are still run by uniformed operators. The 522-feet-high tower is topped by a ball made of cut glass and copper that lights up at night.
WONDERS of pioneer square THE STROLLING TOUR
PHOTO: JEN KELLY
Located at Main & Second, this secluded, enchanting park offers an oasis for weary sightseers, shoppers, and locals alike. Privately built and maintained by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the park marks the site of the original United Parcel Service offices. It’s the perfect place to relax for a moment, listening to the thundering melodies of falling water.
P I O N E E R S Q U A R E M U S EUMS The Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park commemorates the gold rush that put Seattle on the map. Featuring exhibits and artifacts, gold panning demonstrations, entertaining films, and interpretive talks, the museum is open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. every day. Admission is free and children are welcome.
PHOTO: GIANLUCA SIRRI
In 1855, Seattle settlers were attacked by Salish Native American warriors at what is now the corner of Occidental and Main. This now peaceful pedestrian walk is flanked by shops, galleries, restaurants, and an information booth for visitors. The Grand Central Building, to the west, houses an indoor “mall” and is famously covered in climbing ivy. At the north end of Occidental Square, you’ll discover totems named Sun and Raven, Tsonqua, Bear, and Killer Whale—all carved by Duane Pasco, a renowned Chinookan artist. South of the park, across Jackson Street, you’ll find easy access to King Street Station, the terminus for Amtrak, the Chinatown / International District, and a Metro tunnel entrance.
The Fire Museum was created in 2008 when the Last Resort Fire Department moved a portion of its collection of apparatus and artifacts into Seattle Fire Department Headquarters. The display includes historic rigs dating back to 1834. The Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum is dedicated to the history of law enforcement in the Seattle Metropolitan area. The museum is the official repository for the police artifacts dating back to the 1880’s.