Located at Tilikum Square, the bronze statue of Chief Seattle (the Suquamish man for whom the city is named) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was designed by Seattle artist James A. When in 1907 and unveiled on November 13, 1912 by Chief Seattle's great-great granddaughter, Myrtle Loughery [2; 3].
Standing outside in Seattle eternally preforming is a memorial to Chris Cornell . It was donated to the Museum of Pop Culture by his widow, Vicky Cornell after its unveiling in 2018 by her and his former bandmates from Soundgarden. Cornell enjoyed an over thirty-year career and Soundgarden was the first band from Seattle to sign to a major record label, A&M Records in 1989. While Cornell was not as prominent as some of his contemporaries, it was Cornell's early influence that helped the other Seattle bands like Alice in Chains and Nirvana gain traction and adopt their own unique sound. Early on AiC was a glam metal band that resembled Motley Crue or Poison, while Nirvana maintained a punk aesthetic. While never shedding its heavy metal influence Jerry Cantrell would adopt several techniques from Cornell, mainly alternative tunings and odd time signitures. Kurt Cobain loved the earliest years of Soundgarden and before the Nevermind album they sounded similar to Cornell's work. Chris Cornell dealt with depression throughout his career and its impact on his life can be heard in his music. Many of modern rock takes its notes from Cornell's lyrics about depression, substance abuse, and the experience of living itself. He would take his own life in 2017. The statue of Cornell was made by Nick Mara, alongside with Vicky Cornell who picked through photographs of Cornell to decide on the specifics of the piece. Standing on the sidewalk beside the Museum of Pop Culture, the statue isn't on a pedestal or placed above the viewer. The plan was to make it so you could walk right up to him and "look him in the eyes".
Once known as the Experience Museum Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, the Museum of Popular Culture is now dedicated to recent popular culture, especially in the areas of music and science fiction. The museum's unique 440,000 square foot building houses numerous exhibits, interactive stations, sound sculptures and educational resources for all those interested in the worlds of science fiction and music. The nonprofit museum, which was the brain child of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, first opened its doors in 2000 and is now open seven days per week, from 10-5 in the winter and 10-7 during its summer hours.
Rising 605 feet high, the Space Needle was built for the 1962 World's Fair and has been one of the leading landmarks of the Pacific Northwest and a symbol for the city of Seattle. The fair drew over 2.3 million visitors, and nearly 20,000 people used its elevators each day during the 1962 World's Fair to reach what was then the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River. The fair was made possible by a 1957 bond that supported a new civic center and fairground development, while the federal government dedicated $9 million to build the U.S. Science Exhibit, which now serves as the Pacific Science Center. Marketing for the fair included space-age images of the needle and exhibits, along with a jingle that implored listeners to "Skidaddle to Seattle" for the fair. The tower was built to withstand winds of up to 200 miles per hour and earthquakes of up to 9.1 magnitude and has 25 lightning rods. On May 19, 2007, the Space Needle welcomed its 45 millionth visitor. The guest received a free trip for two to Paris, along with a VIP dinner at the Eiffel Tower. Every year on New Year's Eve, the Space Needle celebrates with a fireworks show at midnight that is synchronized to music. In April of 2012, as part of the 50th anniversary celebration, the Space Needle was painted Galaxy Gold, the same color used when it was constructed for the 1962 World's Fair.
This historic station is the location of one of the first commercial monorail transit systems in the United States. The monorail opened in Seattle in 1962, one month before the start of the Century 21 Exposition, a World's Fair event that was held in the city from April through October of that year. During the fair, the monorail transported an estimated 8 million people between the Seattle fairgrounds and downtown. Afterwards, the monorail was turned over to the Century 21 Corporation for no charge. In 1965, the Century 21 Corporation sold the monorail to the City of Seattle, and it has since been used extensively as a public transit system. In October 1962, a historical marker was placed at the original station and also at the northern terminus on the shore of Lake Union. The monorail was designated a Seattle Landmark in 2003.
Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibition at the Seattle Center was established in 2012. Featuring the works of Washington State artist Dale Chihuly, the LEED-certified installation consists of a garden, central Glasshouse, and eight galleries next door to the Space Needle. The Chihuly Garden offers art education and events through partnerships with the Pratt Fine Arts Center, Pilchuck Glass School, ArtsFund, and Seattle Public Schools. Events include live music, yoga, tours, lectures, dinners, and theatrical performances [1].
Originally part of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, the Pacific Science Center opened as the United States Science Pavilion, and is now a City of Seattle Landmark run by a private non-profit organization. Permanent exhibits range from toddler-age play areas to interactive exhibits on health and life sciences, Earth and environmental sciences, and physics and engineering. The museum also features special exhibits such as the Art of the Brick Lego exhibit and the International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes, as well as a wide array of programs and special events [1].
Located on the Old Fair Grounds at the Seattle Center, this mural was designed by Paul Horiuchi for the 1962 World's Fair. The mural is intended to portray the natural beauty and colors of the Pacific Northwest. Horiuchi designed the mural in the style of a collage, which is his signature style, using bright panels of Venetian glass in 54 different colors. Originally from Japan, Horiuchi trained in sumi-e brush art and calligraphy, before moving to Seattle in 1946.
The Neototems Children's Garden is a maze of paths featuring whimsical sculptures of animals, which were created by the sculpture artist Gloria Bornstein. The animal sculptures include a whale's tail, an octopus, a seahorse, a family of blowfish, and a piglet with wings. Each sculpture appears nestled among decorative rocks and native plants in this designed landscape. There is also a plaque located at the site attributing the sculptures to Bornstein in 2002.
The Seattle Children's Museum features a number of hands-on, interactive exhibits and play spaces that were designed for children from around age 10 months up to age 8. In addition, the museum also offers many educational programs and activities that can be enjoyed by pre-school and elementary school-age children, as well as by visiting families. The museum's mission is "to ignite curiosity and to encourage active, life-long learning."
The International Fountain is a large installation that merges water elements with lighting displays and recorded music for the public to enjoy. Located on the campus of the Seattle Center, the fountain was originally built for the 1962 World's Fair, which was held at the same location. When viewed from the northern rim of the fountain (looking toward the southeast), the Space Needle landmark serves as a dramatic backdrop to the fountain's musically-enhanced water displays. The International Fountain has been described as resembling a sea-urchin with a central dome and jets that spout water in all directions.
Completed in 1928, Seattle’s Civic Auditorium was designed in a Romanesque Revival style and dedicated by the city’s only female mayor, Bertha K. Landes. The auditorium hosted symphony concerts and performances by the San Francisco Opera, featuring musical stars such as the opera singer, Marian Anderson. In the late 1950s, a civic bond issue was passed to upgrade the venue in preparation for the 1962 World’s Fair. Demolition of the Civic Auditorium commenced in 1958, with only the Romanesque Revival facade preserved. In 1962, the venue reopened with enhanced acoustics, becoming the main stage for the Seattle Opera, the city's own premiere opera company. In 2003, a $127 million renovation of the 1962 Seattle Opera House once again transformed the site, this time into a state-of-the-art venue fit for the 21st century. Renamed McCaw Hall, the venue currently features 150 annual performances by the Seattle Opera and the Pacific Northwest Ballet Company.
Located a block away from Seattle Center, the Pacific Northwest Ballet is one of the city’s most prized attractions. PNB has been ranked as a top professional ballet school in the United States. It has the highest per-capita attendance in the U.S. with 11,000 subscribers in 2004, and it has over one hundred performances annually that non-locals travel to see. The program offers ages eight and up the opportunity to dance at its renowned institution. While it is now a leading company, it did not start that way. It took over two decades before PNB became a household name.
The Kobe Bell Meditation Garden at the Seattle Center represents friendship between the international sister cities of Seattle, Washington, and Kobe, Japan. The cast bronze bell was created for the 1962 World’s Fair and was presented to Seattle as a gift from the people of Kobe. A partnership between the two cities formed in 1957 as part of a broader post-World War II effort to develop ties that would foster global peace, cooperation, and understanding. The Kobe Bell is housed within a small wooden Japanese pagoda set within a peaceful meditation garden. Along with the bell, the city of Kobe has also gifted other symbolic tokens of friendship to Seattle over the years, including four red-crowned cranes in residence at the Seattle Zoo, cherry trees planted in Centennial Park, and an abstract wave sculpture at Pier 66 at the Port of Seattle.
The Seattle Repertory Theater Company ("the Rep") was established in 1963 at the Seattle Playhouse, a theater venue built one year earlier for the 1962 World's Fair. Hal Holbrook, a renowned theater artist, and Bagley Wright, a local patron of the arts, led the effort to establish the non-profit theater company, which became the first Equity Theater in Seattle. In 1983, a new venue, the Bagley Wright Theater, was constructed at the Seattle Center to serve as the main stage for the Rep. The 842-seat performance venue was named in Wright's honor, as he not only provided guidance and financial support during the Rep's formative years, but he also served as the company's first president from 1963 to 1970. Notably, in 1990, the Seattle Repertory Theater won a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater. This is the highest award that a theater company can receive.
The Leo Kreielsheimer Theater (The "Leo K.") opened in December 1996 as the second stage for the Seattle Repertory Theater Company. The 282-seat venue is adjacent to the larger Bagley Wright Theater, which serves as the Rep's main stage for classical and traditional works, as well as contemporary plays. The Rep was established in 1963 following the success of a theatrical performance at the Seattle Playhouse during the 1962 World's Fair. For the next two decades, the Rep was based at the Seattle Playhouse (also known as the World's Fair Playhouse), until the construction of the Bagley Wright Theater in 1983, followed by the Leo Kreielsheimer Theater in 1996. The Seattle Rep holds the distinction of winning a Tony Award in 1990 for Outstanding Regional Theater, and the theater company has also been commended by The New York Times for its long-lasting success as "the city's flagship theater."
The August Wilson Way Portal is a twelve-foot high sculptured doorway constructed of steel in honor of the late playwright, August Wilson (1945 - 2005). A work of public art, it was dedicated by the City of Seattle and the Seattle Repertory Theater Company in 2008. Wilson was a renowned playwright whose work portrayed the history of African Americans throughout the twentieth century. Hailed as the American Shakespeare, he began his career as a poet before becoming a playwright. Wilson’s plays have been produced on Broadway and at regional theaters around the country, while also being adapted for film. He maintained a lifelong collaboration with the Seattle Rep, one of the first theaters to have produced his epic ten-part American Century Cycle in its entirety. In addition to receiving a Tony Award, Wilson was twice awarded a Pulitzer Prize for two of the plays in his American Century Cycle.
KeyArena is a sports venue that broke ground in 1960 in Seattle, Washington and was later opened two years later in 1962. It houses the WNBA's Seattle Storm, the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds and the NCAA's Seattle University Redhawks. However is it most notable for formerly being the home to the defunct Seattle SuperSonics of the NBA. There were three different periods of time when the team played at KeyArena (1967-1978, 1985-1994, 1995-2008). They moved out the first two times to play in two different arenas that were better renovated at the time. The team was moved to Oklahoma City after the 2008 season, and the move was seen as controversial by many of the SuperSonics faithful.
Completed in 1965, the Queen Anne Post Office and Regional Headquarters was resoundingly larger than all other postal buildings, in both amount of stories and total square footage, to be built in the western states at the time.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
Get a QR Code for this tour
This short tour starts at two statues dedicated many years apart that demonstrate the diversity of Seattle's history- a monument in honor of Native American leader Chief Seattle and a statue dedicated in remembrance of musician Chris Cornell. The tour continues on to the Museum of Pop Culture, the Space Needle, and some of Seattle's most popular museums and tourist destinations.
