Pioneer Square Historic District

Pioneer Square Historic District is the oldest neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, centered on Occidental Avenue South and Yesler Way just south of downtown. Henry Yesler built a steam sawmill here in 1853, and the slope down to the mill, called Skid Road, gave the American language the phrase for a down-at-heel district. On June 6, 1889, the Great Seattle Fire destroyed about 25 blocks of the mostly wooden commercial core. Seattle rebuilt within months in brick, stone and iron, and the buildings that stand today are mostly from 1889 to about 1910, with heavy Richardsonian Romanesque arches, deep-set windows and carved stone details. The Pioneer Building of 1892, with its atrium, and the iron-and-glass Pergola of 1909 on Pioneer Place are two landmarks, while the 1914 Smith Tower and the 1906 King Street Station anchor the district edges. A totem pole stands in Pioneer Place Park, a replacement for one taken from a Tlingit village in Alaska in 1899. Occidental Park and its cobblestones, Waterfall Garden Park on the site of the early United Parcel Service operation, and the Occidental Mall give the area pedestrian-friendly public spaces. The district also holds the Seattle Underground, the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, and one of the city's largest concentrations of art galleries, which open for a monthly First Thursday art walk. The Pioneer Square-Skid Road Historic District was designated in 1970 after citizens resisted plans to demolish the old buildings for parking and development, and design review keeps new construction compatible with the historic character. Preservation has been steady but uneven, because earthquake damage in 2001 and long-term vacancies have required costly retrofits, and some buildings are still waiting for rehabilitation. The district is best explored on foot, either independently with a self-guided map or on a guided history walk, and its mix of bars, restaurants, bookshops and galleries keeps it lively day and night.