Starbucks was founded by three West Coast locals, friends from the University of San Francisco, named Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker, and Zev Siegel. Inspired by Peet’s coffee, the three set out to discover the art of coffee roasting, and open a store selling high quality, roasted beans.&nbsp; 
With a selected theme of nautical mythology, the first company logo was drawn from a siren, the name selected from Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick. The original logo bore a more scantily clad mermaid, a topless, risqué version that now only exists on the window detailing of this original location.&nbsp;
As the site is in a designated historic district, the building’s exterior remains the same as it did upon it’s original opening. The interior, however, remains true to the founder’s original intention. Instead of featuring the sprawling lounge environment comprised of comfortable chairs and plentiful tables that Starbuck’s is know for, the first location remains blatantly seatless. The founders envisioned a place where people simply arrived to purchase freshly roasted beans - not to linger over a mug. As such, the original location remains purely purchase-based. Guests can enter, pick up their order, and edge out of the narrow space back onto the Market’s streets.&nbsp; 
Today Starbucks can be found in 65 countries around the world, with more then 20 thousand retail locations. The store has surpassed standard coffee sales, and has forged a lifestyle brand, while becoming a notable global phenomenon.&nbsp;

Original Starbucks in the Pike Place Market Street View

Original Starbucks Logo Transformation Over the Years

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Store Tour: Inside 1912 Pike Place, Seattle, USA "Where it all Began"

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"The first Starbucks coffee shop, Seattle" - The Guardian

In the center of the famous Pike Place Market sits the original Starbucks. The now ubiquitous coffee chain’s roots were formed in this downtown Seattle location in March of 1977. Today the shop remains a functioning retail location, open to the public. However the original vision and intention of the business is evident, along with a cultural status coffee lovers travel from all over the world to pay homage to. 


The Original Starbucks

This short walk connects two of Seattle's most iconic landmarks with around a dozen stops along the way. The tour includes past and present Belltown landmarks, sharing stories of this unique neighborhood by exploring historical markers, public art, and historic buildings. The tour is easily reversible (just hit the reverse button within the tour), and the tour's midway point includes a stop at the original Starbucks to help fuel one's journey. 

Pike Place to the Space Needle Walking Tour

A History of Pike's Place from the official website: "At the turn of the century, Seattle was a rough and tumble place and a rapidly growing city. As the population of gold rushers, loggers, fishermen, shipbuilders and merchants grew, so did the demand for produce and goods from the city’s neighboring farms. In the decade of 1890-1900, Seattle’s population nearly doubled, growing from 42,000 to 80,000 citizens.&nbsp;Farmers brought their vegetables, fruit, milk, dairy, eggs and meat to the city by horse drawn wagons and by ferry from the nearby islands. The goods were purchases by wholesalers, who sold the goods at a commission at warehouses on Western Ave. In this system, farmers occasionally made a profit but increasingly only broke even or lost money.In 1906-1907, the price of produce—onions namely—soared, leaving the farmers none the richer and the citizens angry over the price gouging.&nbsp; The uproar led one local official to try to find a solution. In the summer of 1907, Seattle City Councilman Thomas Revelle proposed the city create a public market place where farmers and consumers could meet directly to sell and buy goods and thereby sidelining the wholesalers.&nbsp;On the public market’s first day, August 17, 1907, crowds of shoppers seeking fresh produce and bargains descended upon the new marketplace. The first farmer sold out of produce within minutes. Within a week, 70 wagons were gathering daily to sell along the newly named Pike Place, a wooden roadway that connected First St. to Western Ave.&nbsp;Councilman Revelle’s words of dedication ring true more than a century later:&nbsp;“The Market is yours. I dedicate it to you and may it prove of benefit to you and your children. It is for you to protect, defend, and uphold and it is for you to see that those who occupy it treat you fairly. … This is one of the greatest days in the history of Seattle.”Developer Frank Goodwin, who had recently returned with a small fortune from the Klondike Gold Rush, saw an opportunity in the flourishing market 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, political radicals, and eccentrics.Italian farmer Joe Desimone purchased the Market’s main arcades in 1941 and guided it through World War II, when 1st Avenue attracted thousands of sailors and soldiers along with ration-book bargain hunters. As suburbs and supermarkets sprouted after World War II, the Market fell on hard times, while still supporting an eclectic community of artists and craftspeople.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 the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority to rehabilitate and manage the Market’s core buildings."1

Established in 1907, Pike Place Market continues to serve as Seattle's public market. With over nine acres of fresh food, crafts, and entertainment, Pike's Place is one of the city's most popular tourist destinations. The market is located between 1st Ave and Western Ave and Pike St. and Virginia St. There is a parking garage at 1531 Western Ave.

Pike Place Market Historical District

The Pike Place Market has been a staple in Seattle since its inception in 1907. For the first 79 years of the Market’s existence, it was without a key figure that is there to greet visitors as they enter. This figure is Rachel the pig. Rachel was installed at the entrance of the market in 1986. Rachel was constructed, with a bronze cast, by a Whidbey Island sculptor, Georgia Gerber. Gerber based her creation on Rachel the pig who (was actually a pig) who won the Whidbey Island county fair in 1985. Rachel the piggy bank is 200 pounds less than the real Rachel at 550 pounds. Gerber’s sculptures are scattered all over Seattle. In addition to Rachel, she also sculpted the husky at the Alaska Airlines stadium at the University of Washington and the gorillas and baboons at the Woodland Park Zoo.Rachel is most known by marketgoers and tourists as a place to take cool photos and a fun sculpture that children can play with. Rachel even caught the eye of someone from all the way across the country. Philbert, a bronze pig from Philadelphia wrote Rachel a “love letter” and Rachel even responded. More attention is brought to Rachel when she can often be found dressed in fun outfits, such as Seahawks apparel, Halloween costumes, or even a tutu. But what many do not know is that Rachel brings in around $20,000 annually. The money collected supports a food bank, clinic, senior center, and preschool. The collection of funds has become almost a ritual, happening every day. The slot where money is put in can be unlocked and pulled up and the money is then collected. The idea was created for the purpose to give back to the community. Having a passive way of collecting more income for citizens in the community is something that should be practiced more often.With Rachel bringing in so much money the market foundation created another pig named Billie was put in place in 2011. Billie, Rachel’s cousin, is located on the west side of the market, called the market front. Billie has an awesome view, she gets to look out over the water. Billie and Rachel together have been quite the dynamic duo in their lifetimes together pulling in more than $350,000.In addition to Rachel’s aid to the community, she has literally saved lives. In 2011 a taxi was rear-ended and the driver hit the gas instead of the break sending it directly toward innocent shoppers and the beloved fish market. Luckily Rachel was fearlessly in the way to stop the taxi from hitting the pedestrians. Rachel has a regular visitor who has donated her career earnings to Rachel. Charley who is a five-year-old began creating beaded necklaces and selling them and putting her proceeds in Rachel the piggy bank. In total Charley has given Rachel around $750.Rachel and Billie have been a great addition to the market. The extra funds that they bring in are awesome but the attention and fun that they add to the market are just as good or better.

The Pike Place Market is an iconic place in Seattle, Washington. The market would not be the same with one very important figure, Rachel the piggy bank. People from all over the world have taken pictures with Rachel as well as add their respective currencies to the bank. Rachel has a cousin named Billie (who is located on the west side of the market). Together they bring in around $20,000 annually and the money collected goes towards a foodbank, clinic, senior center, and preschool. Rachel has been through a lot in her 36 years of living in the market, she even withstanded a taxicab running in to her.

Rachel the Pig

In 1911, the Corner Market Building was commissioned by Cyrus Francis Clapp, who hired the architect Harlan Thomas to design the building across from Pike Place Market, which was established near Seattle's waterfront in 1907. Its success led private property owners to commission new buildings nearby, expanding the market with an increasing number of vendor stalls and social amenities for shoppers. The Corner Market Building offered foods such as butter, cheese, eggs, coffee, tea, and spices, with specialty retailers that included “two confectioners; three delicatessens; a fish and oyster dealer; a florist; [and] three fruit sellers.” By the 1920s, Pike Place Market had become a primary regional food center, with many people coming into the city to purchase fresh produce and other goods. The market was a boon for Seattle and for the region’s farmers who could connect more directly with customers and avoid price-gouging by middle men.During the 1920s, the Pike Place Market reflected a mix of farmers, food vendors, and other merchants who had come to the Pacific Northwest during the waves of Asian and European immigration since 1900. The customers who frequented the market also reflected the ethnic and economic diversity of the city. As many as 25,000 shoppers visited the market during an average weekday. Amidst the Great Depression in the 1930s, the market served a particularly important role by providing a reliable source of low-cost foods and amenities. During World War II, however, the federal policies that forced Japanese Americans to evacuate the city and move into internment camps had a lasting negative impact on the market. Even in the decade after war, the market never completely recovered due to the loss of farmers, customers, and sales.By the 1950s, the market's buildings had begun to show signs of disrepair, as its shopping base declined. The rise of suburban supermarkets, accessible by automobile, further contributed to the economic downturn, which continued throughout the 1960s. Still, the Pike Place Market remained a hub for local residents, especially those who were elderly or low-income. With its bright neon signage (added in 1937) it also remained popular with tourists visiting the city. In 1963, an urban renewal project was proposed which threatened to demolish the entire market complex, including the Corner Market Building, replacing it instead with high-rise apartments. In response, a group of community-minded preservationists, the Friends of the Market, came together to save the site from demolition. They launched a painstaking, seven-year battle to prevent re-development.The Friends of the Market succeeded, launching a sustained grassroots effort that involved the collection of 16,000 signatures. They put forward a public initiative, Petition No. 270105, to establish a protected historic district that would be overseen by a new local commission. A majority of Seattle residents approved the petition, voting to preserve the historic character of the Pike Place Market and its surrounding buildings. A modified urban renewal plan was adopted that involved preserving the buildings and repaving the historic cobblestone streets. In 1970, the Market and several contributing structures, including the Corner Market Building, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Pike Place Market Historic District. In 1975, the Corner Market Building was fully renovated, preserving its historic character while restoring it to its original appearance.

Completed in 1912, the Corner Market Building is one of several buildings within Seattle's Pike Place Market and was designed by the architect Harlan Thomas. The market was established on the waterfront in 1907, and from its inception, it drew numerous customers seeking reasonable prices for fresh, local goods while directly connecting farmers with consumers. By the 1970s, however, the market struggled to compete with supermarkets in the suburbs accessible by automobile. The Corner Market Building was crumbling into disrepair until a group of community-minded preservationists fought to save it. In 1970, the Corner Market Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing structure to the Pike Place Market Historic District, and in 1975, it was renovated and restored to its original appearance.

Corner Market Building (1912)

From 1914 to 1915, Bell Street Pier was constructed atop fill that was dumped along the waterfront at this location. The fill was the result of the Denny Regrade, a large-scale engineering project that created a uniform elevation by leveling the hills in Seattle's Denny Hill neighborhood. Once the Bell Street Pier was completed, the Port of Seattle maintained a headquarters building here. The site was ideal as it was proximate to the city's business district, and it connected to the Belltown neighborhood via a wooden trestle bridge traversing Railroad Avenue (later named Alaskan Way). Initially, the Bell Street Pier contained a wooden shed-style cold-storage warehouse erected on pilings, while its bay side provided dock space for large ocean-going vessels.According to the historian, Paul Dorpat, in his book, Seattle Waterfront: An Illustrated History, originally ramps led up from Railroad Avenue to the Port of Seattle headquarters' second story entrance on the Bell Street Pier. On top the building were potted plants, benches, a solarium, and a play area where children would be supervised while their parents shopped at the nearby Pike Place Market. By 1920, however, this second-floor area was closed off to the public, as it was frequently used at night as a meeting spot for sailors and their dates. The city decided that keeping the area open was a "moral nuisance," in part due to concerns over pregnancies, along with a strong current of moralism at the start of Prohibition in 1920. At the same time, sailors often found themselves struggling to reintegrate after returning home after World War I.As freight shipping became increasingly important to the continued economic development of the city, the Port of Seattle proved to be well-equipped to handle massive transfers of cargo along the waterfront. In the early 20th century, Seattle already had one of the most advanced industrial waterfronts of any city on the West Coast. Cargo could be unloaded exceptionally quickly, averaging only a quarter of the time that it took San Francisco to complete a job of comparable size. The Port of Seattle also held the further distinction of being the only municipal corporation to own as well as operate its numerous wharves and piers. It also benefitted from the fact that its Bell Street Pier headquarters building was close to the city's central business district.Renamed Pier 66 during World War II, the Bell Street Pier continued to serve as one of the city's primary wharves in the post-war years. By the mid-1990s, Pier 66 was reconstructed, along with the adjacent piers, to create "The Bell Street Pier and Bell Harbor Complex," which included a cruise ship terminal, a marina, a conference center, shops, restaurants, and the Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center. Today, this terminal complex comprises eleven acres along Seattle's downtown waterfront. Companies such as Oceania Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Lines dock their vessels here, while providing seasonal passage to and from Alaska. The Bell Street Pier Complex is a short walk to Pike Place Market and to Miner's Landing, the Great Wheel, and the Seattle Aquarium at Piers 57 and 58.

This marker commemorates the history of Seattle's Bell Street Pier, while acknowledging the earlier presence of the Coast Salish native people who lived and fished in this area for millennia. Later renamed Pier 66, the Bell Street Pier opened in 1915 with a bay-front dock for large ocean-going vessels, as well as a wooden shed-style cold-storage warehouse for loading and unloading cargo. The Bell Street Pier also became the headquarters for the Port of Seattle, which was established in 1911, owning and operating the first public seaport in Washington State. A historical marker was placed at the site during National Maritime Week in May 1986 in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Port of Seattle. The marker was dedicated by the Puget Sound Maritime Historical Association and the National Propeller Club.

Bell Street Pier Historical Marker (Pier 66) 

In the 1890s, Scott Benjamin and V.D. Maddocks owned a successful Seattle delivery and transportation business, the Benjamin &amp; Maddocks Livery Company. Their horses pulled wagons loaded with goods through the city's streets, while making frequent deliveries for the nearby Pike Place Market. Starting in 1903, the company began to stable its horses in an existing facility (an earlier building also called Union Stables), which was located on 3rd Avenue and Pine Streets. As the company continued to grow in the early 20th century, Benjamin &amp; Maddocks commissioned the construction of a new state-of-the-art horse stables with enough space for 300 horses.Completed in 1910, the new urban equine facility was constructed in a corner lot, replacing an existing fruit orchard. Designed by the architect George C. Dietrich, the building was four stories tall and fireproof. Internal ramps provided interior passageways for the horses to move between the floors, and large windows allowed ample light into the interior. The monumental brick building also included decorative masonry details on the exterior, including a dramatic terracotta horse head in a scroll near the top of the façade, which is still visible today. According to an article published in the Seattle Daily Times newspaper on August 29, 1909, the property's owners envisioned the new Union Stables as "the most modern building west of the Mississippi River."However, the new building's use as a horse stable proved short-lived. By 1915, the automobile industry had expanded considerably in Seattle, with nearly 7,000 residents holding driving licenses for cars. A decade earlier, a city traffic count conducted on December 23, 1904 at the intersection of Pike Street and 2nd Avenue had tallied 3,945 horse-drawn vehicles and only 14 automobiles. As the use of horses for transportation continued to decline in the 1920s, the Union Stables building was eventually converted into an automobile repair shop, a parking garage, and a furniture warehouse.Designated a Seattle Landmark in 2005, Union Stables was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. Two years later, the building was adapted into a modern office complex by Weinstein A+U, a Seattle-based urban design and architecture firm. Windows were replaced, mechanical and electrical systems were updated, and the building received a seismic retrofit. A fifth story was added, and the façade was restored, while original exposed brick and heavy timbers were preserved in the interior. The renovation received LEED Gold Certification and an Award for Outstanding Achievement from the Washington State Office of Historic Preservation in 2015.

Completed in 1910, Union Stables was commissioned by the Benjamin &amp; Maddocks Livery Company to house and care for the three hundred horses that were part of the city’s early transportation and delivery industry. The decade after the building's completion saw rapid change as automobiles, considered a novelty by many when this building opened, went from gradually being used in place of horse-drawn street cars and wagons to replacing them in the 1920s. During that decade, the former stables building was converted into a furniture warehouse. The building later served as an automobile repair shop and parking garage. Almost a century later, the structure was fully renovated and given modern features that earned the LEED Gold certification in 2015. The property was designated a Seattle Landmark in 2005 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. The decorative terracotta horse at the top of the building's front facade remains as a reminder of the centrality of horses within Seattle and other cities until the 1920s.

Union Stables (1910)

A fixture in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood, the Belltown Cafe operated at this location from 1978 to 1982. Although the Cafe was only open for a few brief years, it quickly became a beloved community gathering place, known for its homestyle cooking and Groundhog Day root vegetable pies. In honor of the February holiday, the owners were often willing to trade a warm dish of their pie for a donation of art. In this way, they inadvertently supported the local arts scene, while assisting those who could not otherwise afford to pay for a meal. On one occasion, a food-for-art trade resulted in the Cafe's acquisition of a bell-shaped baking pan, which was thereafter used to prepare the root vegetables for the annual pie.Throughout the rest of the year, the Cafe's proprietors would hang the bell-shaped pan above the front door as advertising, and the unusual outdoor sign would entice customers to come into the shop. Yet, when Groundhog Day rolled around in February, the owners would traditionally bring the pan back inside, wash it, and fill it with diced root vegetables for their special mid-winter pie. The locally famous pie included a wide variety of root vegetables, such as yams, beets, celery, parsnips, carrots, garlic, and rutabagas, all mixed together and baked into a delicious golden crust. Flavored with olive oil, salt, pepper, and other spices, the root pie's aroma often wafted down the block.The day after the holiday, the bell-shaped pan was once again washed and returned to its place above the Cafe's front door, to remind the community of its roots. Although the Belltown Cafe closed down in the early 1980s and the building was damaged in a fire just a few years later, the Cafe's unique Groundhog Day tradition was not forgotten by neighborhood residents. Its unique legacy lives on in other local eateries, such as the Macrina Bakery, which reflects a new evolution of the original Belltown Cafe. Meanwhile, the historic bell-shaped pan has been repurposed as a historical marker and placed on the exterior of the building that formerly housed the Cafe. The bell-shaped marker has been inscribed with a brief history of the Cafe's significance to the Belltown community.

From 1978 to 1982, the Belltown Cafe served the neighborhood as a "cultural hearth," preparing delicious homestyle food and contributing to civic projects, such as planting street trees along First Avenue and helping to establish the Belltown Co-op. The Cafe's Groundhog Day pie was locally famous, and it became part of an annual tradition in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood. Because the Cafe sometimes swapped food for art, it also helped to foster the local arts culture, while supporting residents of the community who might not otherwise be able to pay. For Groundhog Day each February, the Cafe used a special bell-shaped silver baking pan to cook root vegetables for its pies. This unusual pan also doubled as a Cafe sign, which hung above the front door during the rest of the year. The bell-shaped pan was later repurposed as a historical marker and placed on the exterior of the building that housed the original Belltown Cafe, commemorating the history of a unique community gathering place.

Belltown Pan Historical Marker

From 1890 and 1920, William Hainsworth was a successful Seattle builder and developer who actively promoted development above Alki Beach and in other parts of the city. Throughout his long career, Hainsworth commissioned many single-family homes in the Craftsman bungalow style, in addition to multi-family "cottage parks,” in which homes were clustered around a shared detached courtyard. Towards the end of his life, Hainsworth was also involved with commercial real estate, through the development of the Spring Apartment Hotel in 1922. This was the first major hotel to be constructed in downtown Seattle. Upon his death, Hainsworth donated a parcel of property to the city for the creation of Fairmount Park.In 1916, Hainsworth commissioned the construction of six cottages clustered around a central courtyard in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. The 20- by 24-foot homes came to be known as the Belltown Cottages. Signs were placed in the windows of the newly completed houses, advertising their availability: “Save Car Fare and Time, Modern Cottages, $16 to $18 a month.” Designed as affordable housing for families, they were occupied by workers employed on Seattle’s waterfront, including fishermen, longshoremen, and shipyard workers, as well as a telephone operator and a waitress. Hainsworth renovated five other cottages, built earlier, near Elliot Way and Vine Street. Additionally, he commissioned a five-unit set of row houses next to the Belltown Cottage Park, although these were eventually demolished. Three of the six original Belltown Cottages were also torn down in the 1960s.In 2000, the three remaining cottages were designated as Seattle Landmarks by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Board. They have each been used as accommodations for Richard Hugo House's Writers-in-Residence program. As of 2023, the cottages are partially occupied, and the City of Seattle, which owns the Belltown Cottage Park, is considering options to further preserve this landmark as a public historic site. In the late 1980s and 1990s, the original courtyard was converted into a community garden known as the Belltown P-Patch, through the efforts of local artists and activists Buster Simpson, Carl Smool, and Katherine Shedd, along with Myke Woodwell and Wilbur Hathaway. With an Open Space Bond by King County, in 1995, the Friends of the Belltown P-Patch raised $450K to purchase the adjacent vacant lot where the row homes once stood. The expanded community garden now has thirty-five plots for growing vegetables and flowers, landscaped paths, mosaic artwork, and a community mural that asks: "Why not grow?"

Built in 1916 by the Seattle developer William Hainsworth, the Belltown Cottages were originally a group of six Craftsman bungalows clustered around a shared courtyard. The cottages served as residences for fishermen, longshoremen, and other workers employed on Seattle's waterfront in the early 20th century. The homes were constructed after the Denny Regrade, which entailed leveling the Denny Hill area on the northern edge of the city between 1900 and 1910. Advertised as "modern living," each house was equipped with electricity and plumbing. Although half of the cottages were demolished in the 1960s, three still remain standing, and they were designated Seattle Landmarks in 2000. Until recently, the remaining cottages have each been used as accommodations for Richard Hugo House's Writers-in-Residence program. As of 2023, the City of Seattle is exploring options to maintain the Belltown Cottage Park as a historic site. The original courtyard, along with an adjacent vacant lot, is now a community garden known as the Belltown P-Patch.

Belltown Cottage Park

The Crocodile Cafe was founded by attorney and music fan Stephanie Dorgan ,along with a few other law partners. The club itself is divided into 3 sections: the first was the restaurant, the second was liquor bar, and the third was the small soundproof performance area. The first performance at the club was by two bands, Love Battery and the Posies, who often went by pseudonym P.O.T. (Possies on tour).The club eventually booked bigger bands during the era of grunge sound, One particularly famous show was on October 4th, 1992 when fans paid $3.00 for a band they thought was going to be named "Pen Cap Chew". The audience was stunned to see that the entertainers of the night were the most popular band in 1992, Nirvana. Throughout many years to come, the would also be the host to other famous bands of the 90's, such as Pearl Jam, The Melvins, Mudhoney and many more Seattle based grunge bands. The club has since given a place to other musicians such as Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, Greenday, Beck, Beastie Boys and a variety of other acts.For many years the Croc provided exciting shows almost nightly, and was home to great acts for the residents of Seattle. The owner, Dorgan, even met her husband who is the guitarist for R.E.M, Peter Buck, at the club and he became a co-owner. The couple would divorce in 2006. The club began to have problems in 2007, due to financial and staffing issues. In 2007 the club reportedly closed abruptly after a concert one night, and all staff were let go. The club was reopened in 2009 under new ownership and remains open to this day.

Originally located at 2200 2nd Avenue in 1991, the Crocodile Cafe has been an influential cultural site and club venue in Seattle. Under new management and operating as "The Croc" at the former site of the Sailors’ Union of the Pacific lodge, the club continues to be at the forefront of Seattle's music scene. When the original Crocodile Cafe opened in 1991, it was the site of many performances by bands prior to mainstream success and even hosted surprise performances by Nirvana and other bands who wanted to return to their roots. The original club was one of the sites where Seattle's grunge scene was formed and one where performers often returned. The original club closed in 2007, but today, up-and-coming bands still perform at the Croc, a venue that has been located at a few different places in the city ever since new management re-established the iconic club in 2009. That club closed in 2020 owing to the global pandemic, and this location was selected for a 2021 reopening of this venue which offers several stages and even a small hotel.

The Crocodile Cafe

Seattle’s Fire Station No. 2 (Belltown Station) was constructed in 1921, replacing an earlier fire house that existed at this location in the late 1800s, during the era of horse-drawn fire equipment. Currently, the station is comprised of Engine Company No. 2 and Ladder Company No. 4, along with a medic unit and reserve medic unit. In addition, Engine Company No. 5 is temporarily based here, while Fire Station No. 5 is undergoing renovations. The city relied on all-volunteer fire protection units until 1890, when the Great Fire of 1889 swept through Seattle, highlighting the need for a professional fire-fighting force. The Belltown Station became part of the Seattle Fire Department after Belltown was annexed by the city in 1907.Today, Fire Station No. 2 (Belltown Station) is the oldest working fire house in Seattle. The fire bell from Ladder Company No. 4, which was established at this location during the early days of fire protection, remains on display in front of the building. The bell is located next to the entrance on Fourth Street, just south of Battery Street, and is visible on the right when traveling north. Historically, this bell was sounded as an alarm during fires to alert the neighboring stations in the Queen Anne neighborhood and the North End area. Fire bells would ring out a specific alarm code (based on the station’s box number and area code), and the fire-fighters would respond as fast as possible in their horse-drawn fire engines. This bell could be heard up to ten miles away.An inscription on the bell states that it was cast by the L.M. Rumsey Manufacturing Company of St. Louis in 1887. However, a local historian from Kirkwood, Missouri, has noted that the bell was more likely cast for the Rumsey Company by the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore, Maryland, via what might now be considered a private label, contract basis. The bell was restored to the Belltown Station following the 2010 renovation and expansion of the historic building. Currently, there are thirty-three Seattle fire stations located throughout the city. Grouped into five separate battalions, each station is open around the clock, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Completed in 1921, the Seattle Fire Station No. 2 (Belltown Station) is the oldest operating fire station in the city. A fire station was established at this location during the late 1800s, prior to the 1907 annexation of Belltown by the city of Seattle. This station currently houses Engine Company No. 2 and Ladder Company No. 4, along with a medic unit and reserve medic unit. A historic fire bell from the station’s earliest days remains on display near the building’s entrance on Fourth Street. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the bell was sounded as a fire alarm, alerting the other stations nearby, as the firefighters rushed into action. The Belltown Station was listed as a Seattle Landmark in 1985, and a historical marker was placed on site by the Seattle Historical Society. A major renovation and expansion was completed in 2010.

Belltown Station and Fire Bell No. 4 Historical Marker

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].

&nbsp;

Chief Seattle and His
Namesake City



Chief Seattle (Noah Sealth) was born on the Kitsap Peninsula
of Blake Island (the Old-Man-House village) between 1783 and 1786, the son of
Suquamish Chief Schwaebe and Scholitza, his Duwamish wife [3; 4; 6]. During
Seattle's youth, Captain George Vancouver (1758-1798) explored the Puget Sound
in 1792 [4; 6]. Before Europeans returned to settle permanently, Seattle gained
respect among his people through his oration, diplomacy, leadership, and
strategy, initially by preventing a raiding party from upriver from attacking
the Suquamish and Duwamish people of central Puget Sound. In his early
twenties, he became Chief, and was recognized by both tribes due to his
parentage; in the first two decades of the 19th century, the Duwamish of Alki
Point had moved to Suquamish on Agate Passage, and Seattle was recognized as
headman of the Allied Tribes of the Puget Sound Region from Cedar River and
Shilshole Bay to Bainbridge Island and Port Madison [2; 4; 6]. 

In the 1850s, Europeans began settling the region. The
Arthur Denny party was welcomed at the mouth of the Duwamish River by Chief
Seattle, who subsequently befriended Denny, Carson Boren, William Bell, and
David S. "Doc" Maynard [2; 3; 6]. The Hudson's Bay Company established
the first European settlement near present-day Olympia, at the mouth of the
Sequallitchew Creek, where Seattle came to trade with the newcomers [6].
Seattle was baptized as Noah by Catholic missionaries, and convinced Maynard to
move his general store from Olympia to the village of Zechalalitch/Duwumps on
Elliot Bay; Maynard opened the "Seattle Exchange" in 1853 and later
persuaded the settlers to rename the town Seattle in 1855. That same year,
along with several other tribal leaders, Seattle signed the Point Elliott
(present-day Mukilteo) Treaty, ceding ownership of most of the Puget Sound
basin to the United States Government in order to avoid a military conflict [2;
3; 4; 6]. In exchange, the United States offered reservation lands, protected
fishing and hunting rights, education, health care, money, and other benefits,
little of which was ever actually delivered [4; 6]. Chief Seattle retired to
the Port Madison Indian Reservation and, in spite of his own disappointments,
did his best to prevent violence over the ensuing conflict and remained on
friendly terms with Maynard, Denny, Bell, and others in the new city of Seattle
[2; 4; 6]. His only known photograph and his most famous speech were taken and
given in the city before his death of fever on the reservation on June 7, 1866
[4; 6].

&nbsp;

The Statue at Tilikum
Square



James A. Wehn (1883-1973), originally from Indianapolis,
moved to Seattle with his parents at the age of six. He worked with his father
in the family iron and brass foundry, then apprenticed to an Indianapolis
sculptor from 1900-1905. Best known for his well-researched sculpture of Chief Seattle,
he also established the University of Washington's sculpture department in 1919,
designed the official seal of Seattle in 1936, and created several other
monuments for the city [1; 2]. In 1907, Wehn was commissioned by the city to design
a sculpture to be placed at the intersection of the property boundaries of
Seattle founders Carson Boren, William Bell, and Arthur Denny. The intersection,
in the Potlach Meadows used for generations of American Indians for feasts and
games, was renamed Tilikum (meaning "Welcome" or "Friend" in
the Chinook language) and is now part of the Seattle Center [2]. Chief Seattle
was, appropriately, chosen by Wehn as the subject of the statue which was to
commemorate the friendship the city founders received from the Puget Sound
Indian tribes, and a local firm cast the form in 1908. Unfortunately, the
casting was so unacceptable to the sculptor that Wehn loaded the plaster cast
into a wheelbarrow and dumped it into the bay, threatening to abandon the
project altogether if he were not given creative control and a choice of foundries
for the casting [1; 2]. Wehn spent 1911 in Indian villages to work with live
models and used the only photograph ever taken of Chief Seattle to create a
second statue, which was cast in New York in 1912. The bronze sculpture was
dedicated on Founder's Day, November 13, 1912, and was unveiled by Chief
Seattle's great-great-granddaughter, Myrtle Loughery [1; 2; 3]. The statue,
which was the second public artwork in Seattle and the first of Wehn's civic
works, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places [2; 3].

&nbsp;

Inscription: 
[Right side of the monument] 
Kitsap sights Vancouver’s vessel 1792 – First vessel on Puget Sound 
 
[Left side of the monument]

Seattle 
Chief of the Suquamish 
A firm friend of the whites 
For him the city of Seattle 
was named by its founders [5]

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]. 

Chief Seattle Monument

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]. 

Exhibits and Programs 

Permanent exhibits include interactive learning about
health, nutrition, and exercise at Professor Wellbody's Academy of Health and
Wellness and Body Works; a Just for Tots play area with a stream table; an IMAX
solar-powered art installation called Sonic Bloom (price included in general
admission); the Civilized Seeds exhibit on plant use by people through history;
realtime data on CO2 levels in the Sound Atmosphere exhibit; the Puget Sound
Model with real tides and currents; the invention area Tinker Tank and Science
Playground; outdoor exhibits such as Water Works, the High Rail Bicycle, and
the Pollinator Garden of over 50 native plants; animatronic Dinosaurs: A
Journey Through Time; the Tropical Butterfly House; real and animatronic
residents of the Insect Village; a Saltwater Tide Pool touch exhibit; and
animal exhibits featuring &nbsp;reptiles,
amphibians, and mammals, including a colony of East African naked mole rats
with their own live camera feed 24/7. The museum also has a full IMAX theater
with regular showtimes [1].



Educational programs for kids at the Pacific Science Center
include summer camps, break camps, parents' night out, a preschool family play
lab and Proton Preschool, Meet a Scientist, a series of programs held at Mercer
Slough and in community school, preschool, and after-school settings, and homeschool
and S.T.E.A.M. opportunities. Teens can enjoy programs like the Discovery
Corps, Tech Creations Workshop, the summer camp volunteer program, and teen
science cafés. For adults, the museum offers 21+ events, volunteer
opportunities, public lectures and science cafés, and Science and a Movie
nights. Exploration For All programs for the autistic are offered for all ages.
The museum also hosts birthday parties, private events, fundraisers, field
trips, scout programs, and participates in community events such as fairs and
festivals with Science on Wheels. Special events range from laser shows to
monthly event weekends such as BubbleFest, Polar Science Weekend, Life Sciences
Research Weekend, and the Annual Model Railroad Show [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]. 

Pacific Science Center

The Neototems Children's Garden is located on the grounds of the Seattle Center, across from the Seattle Mural at the Mural Ampitheater. Gloria Bornstein designed this whimsical sculpture garden in 2002. The centerpiece of the sculpture garden is a large whale's tail, which appears as if it is emerging from the earth. The artist's inspiration for this particular sculpture was an ancient Native American legend that foretold of whales swimming underneath the earth from the fresh water of Lake Union to the salt water of Eliot Bay. In addition, the sculpture garden also includes the artist's rendering of an octopus sitting upon a rock, a seahorse, a family of blowfish, and a winged piglet that appears ready for flight, among other other imaginative creatures of land and sea. The Neototems Children's Garden includes some shady trees and places for children to sit or climb. It is located within walking distance of the Children's Museum, the Pacific Science Center, and the Space Needle landmark.Gloria Bornstein, the artist behind the Neototems Children's Garden, also redesigned the International Fountain at the Seattle Center. The International Fountain was originally featured in the 1962 World's Fair, held at the Old Fair Grounds located at this site. In 1995, Bornstein designed another sculpture, titled Neototems (1995), which sits at the west side of the International Fountain. This 1995 sculpture includes a pod of whales. As Bornstein explained, the whale's tail that appears in the Neototems Children's Garden (2002) was intended to represent a whale from the same pod as depicted in her earlier sculpture, Neototems (1995).

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.

Neototems Children's Garden

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].



About Dale Chihuly



Dale Chihuly, born in Tacoma, Washington in 1941, studied at
the Universities of Washington and Wisconsin, as well as the Rhode Island
School of Design, where he subsequently established and taught the glass
program. He studied glassblowing in Venice on a Fulbright Fellowship and, in
1971, co-founded Washington State's international glass center, Pilchuck Glass
School. Featured in over 200 museums across the globe, Chihuly has exhibits in
the Louvre in Paris, on the canals and piazzas of Venice, in Jerusalem's Tower
of David Museum, in the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Victoria and Albert
Museum in London, and in many American museums and architectural installations.
Since 2001, he has focused on exhibits in botanical settings [1].

The Seattle Center and the Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibition

Built for
the World's Fair in 1962, the Seattle Center's Space Needle was constructed by
Howard S. Wright II. His family owns and manages the Center, and decided to
reinvigorate it as a cultural community gathering space. The Wright family
asked Dale Chihuly to design an exhibition hall, garden installation, and
glasshouse on a 1.5 acre plot, using the existing building as the exhibition
hall. Construction began in 2011, and LEED Silver certification and installation
of the art began the following year [1].

Eight
galleries and three "Drawing Walls" are included in the Exhibition
Hall. The 40-foot tall Glasshouse, designed to resemble a conservatory, is the
centerpiece of the Exhibition and features a 100-foot long suspended sculpture.
The Garden combines natural elements such as trees and flowers with four large glass
sculptures, Reeds on Logs, the Sun, and the Crystal and Icicle Towers. The
Exhibition also features a Theater which shows videos on Chihuly's artistic
process and how his sculptures are created. The Theater also holds lectures and
events [1].

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]. 

Chihuly Garden and Glass

In 1959, artist Edward E. Carlson sketched a vision of the Space Needle on a napkin in a coffee house. He was inspired by the Stuttgart Tower in Germany. His goal of his "space-age" image was to be the focus of the futuristic World's Fair in Seattle, which had the theme of exploring the 21st century. Carlson's initial sketch of the Space needle underwent many changes, experimenting with features from a tethered balloon to a balloon-shaped top house. John Graham, the architect of the world's first shopping mall, turned the balloon design into a flying saucer. Graham finished the design just a year and a half before the World's Fair.The next challenge was location and financing. The Space Needle needed to be privately financed on land that was available for public purposes. It wasn't until 1961, only a year before it was finished, that this location was sold to investors at $75,000. Construction was managed by the Howard S. Wright Construction Company who first built a foundation that would weigh as much as the Space Needle itself. As a result, the tower's center of gravity is just five feet above ground. The 605-foot tall Building was completed in December 1961, and was opened four months later on the first day of the World's Fair, April 21, 1962.The five-level top house dome was finished with special attention to the revolving restaurant, which was rotated with just one horsepower electric motor, and the observation deck. The final painting consisted of astronaut white for the legs, orbital olive for the core, re-entry red for the halo, an galaxy gold for the sunburst and roof. From the top of the Space Needle, you can observe downtown Seattle, the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier and Mount Baker, Elliot Bay, and the surrounding islands.

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.

Pike Place to the Space Needle Walking Tour

The Original Starbucks

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information