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Prior to the arrival of grocery stores in the 1920s, many Americans purchased
their produce in large open-air markets directly from farmers as a way
to "beat the middleman." In 1907, after rumors of price fixing
mounted, Seattle's City Council established a public market along the
newly constructed four-block boardwalk known as Pike Place. Opening market
day found residents so eager for fresh, fairly priced food that they swarmed
over the first farmer who arrived, emptying his wagon of lettuce in minutes.
Frank Goodwin, a Pike Place landowner rich with Klondike gold, saw an
opportunity and built the first marketplace building. Other multi-level
buildings followed over the next 20 years, creating a central marketing
district accessible to pedestrians and motorized vehicles. During the
Great Depression the market expanded by offering the cheapest food in
town, at one point a bag full of vegetables sold for 25 cents. Hotels
and an auditorium stage also brought entertainment and more income to
the area, allowing Seattle boosters to claim that Pike Place was "The
Finest Public Market In The World." The restraints of World War II
shortages and Japanese American internment did not impede the growth of
Pike Place, in fact adaptations, like a horsemeat market, satisfied these
evolving needs. However, the post-war growth of car traffic and supermarkets
caused Pike Place to decline throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Then, in
1971, the citizens of Seattle passed an initiative stating that Pike Place
"has played and continues to play a significant role in the development
of Seattle." Throughout the 1970s, the area underwent restoration
and revitalization as a "Keep the Market" campaign saved Pike
Place from developers. Today, consumers, curious tourists and over 600
vendors once again pack Pike Place Market stalls, creating an atmosphere
of social and ethnic diversity that makes it one of Seattle's most engaging
historic places.
The Pike Place Public Market Historic District is located six blocks
west of Hwy. 5, near the shores of Elliot Bay. Pike Place is roughly
bounded by First Ave., Virginia St., Western Ave. and a wall running
parallel with Union St. Pike Place Public Market is open from 9:00am
to 6:00pm, Monday-Saturday, and 11:00am to 5:00pm on Sundays. For more
information call 206-682-7453 or visit their website.
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Pike Place (above and below)
Photographs courtesy of the Pike Place Preservation
and Development Authority |
![[graphic heading] Seattle: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary, National Park Servicer](graphics/sheader.gif "[graphic heading] Seattle: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary, National Park Servicer")
