Introduction:

Many regard the Pike Place Market to be the seat of Seattle's "soul." It is located between 1st and Western Avenues and Pike and Virginia Streets, and a short walk from downtown Seattle's retail and hotel district. The "Pike Street Hillclimb" connects it to the Seattle Aquarium and central waterfront via a system of stairs and elevators. Ample parking can be found along Western Avenue with elevator and skybridge connections to the Market.

Note: This tour is intended for personal use only and was prepared by HistoryLink for the City of Seattle Office of Economic Development, Tourist Division. Copyright 2001, City of Seattle. All references to contemporary businesses in this tour date from June 2001. They are cited for orientation and information purposes only and do not imply recommendation or endorsement by the City of Seattle or by HistoryLink.

History:

On the morning of Saturday, August 17, 1907, hundreds of shoppers mobbed a few dozen farmers' carts at the foot of downtown's Pike Street (named for Seattle pioneer and builder John Pike). This first "public market" was held to cut out greedy middlemen who drove up the prices of local produce, and it was an instant hit with farmers and consumers alike. Developer Frank Goodwin, who had recently returned with a small fortune from the Klondike Gold Rush, saw money in all those greens and began construction of the permanent arcades that make up the heart of today's Market. The Market prospered during the 1920s and 1930s, and was home to a lively mix of Japanese and Italian American farmers, struggling artists such as Mark Tobey, political radicals, and miscellaneous eccentrics. Italian farmer Joe Desimone purchased the Market's main arcades in 1941 and guided it through World War II, when 1st Avenue's "Tenderloin" attracted thousands of sailors and soldiers along with ration-book bargain hunters. As suburbs and supermarkets sprouted after World War II, the Pike Place Market fell on bad times, while still supporting an eclectic community of artists and crafts people. When the maze of aging buildings was slated for demolition in the 1960s, architect Victor Steinbrueck rallied Seattle to "Save the Market." Voters approved a 17-acre historic district on November 2, 1971, and the City of Seattle later established a Public Development Authority to rehabilitate and manage the Market's core buildings.

Pike Place Market opened in 1907
Courtesy MOHAI

Pike Place Market
1940s Postcard

Pike Place Market in the 1960s before renovations
Courtesy Frank Shaw

Pike Place Market, 2001
Courtesy HistoryLink