Pike Place Market Historic District

Pike Place Market Historic District, centered at 85 Pike St on the Seattle, Washington, waterfront, is a nine-acre complex of arcades, stalls and small shops that has operated since August 17, 1907. The market was created after Seattle residents complained that middlemen were driving up the price of vegetables, and farmers were invited to sell directly from wagons on Pike Place. Eight farmers took part on the first day, and crowds soon filled the street. Japanese American farmers held many of the early stalls on Vashon Island and in the Puyallup valley until their removal in 1942, which marked a loss the market has since acknowledged. The Main Arcade, the Economy Market, the Sanitary Market and other buildings were added in the 1910s and 1920s, climbing down the hillside toward Elliott Bay. By the 1960s the market had declined, and a plan to replace it with a parking garage and office towers was proposed. A citizens' campaign led by the architect Victor Steinbrueck and Friends of the Market won a ballot initiative in 1971 that created the Historic District, and a preservation authority was formed to manage the site. Today more than 200 businesses operate in the district, including produce, flowers, seafood, crafts and long-running restaurants, and the Market Theater and the Post Alley Gum Wall are well known side attractions. The bronze pig Rachel, installed in 1986 as a collection box, and the neon Public Market Center sign are icons. The first Starbucks cafe, opened in 1971, stands on Pike Place. The 2017 MarketFront addition extended the market north with additional stalls and a public plaza. Preservation here is active rather than museum-like, because the buildings are used every day, and the authority manages rents to keep farmers and small producers on site. The market's character is immersive and sensory, rather than curated, so visitors can wander at will, or join guided food and history tours that explain the market's architecture and its place in the city.