Square, Plaza sights in Seattle
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Pioneer Square Park
The original Pioneer Square is a cobblestone triangular plaza where Henry Yesler’s sawmill cut the giant trees that marked Seattle’s first industry. Known officially as Pioneer Square Park, the plaza features a bust of Chief Seattle (Sealth, in the original language), an ornate pergola and a totem pole. Some wayward early Seattleites, so the story goes, stole the totem from the Tlingit natives in southeastern Alaska in 1890. An arsonist lit the pole aflame in 1938, burning it to the ground. When asked if they could carve a replacement pole, the Tlingit took the money offered, thanking the city for payment of the first totem, and said it would cost $5000 to carve anoth…
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B
Occidental Park
Notable in this cobblestone plaza are the totem poles carved by Duane Pasco, a nationally respected Chinookan carver and artist from Poulsbo on the Kitsap Peninsula. The totems depict the welcoming spirit of Kwakiutl, a totem bear, the tall Sun and Raven, and a man riding on the tail of a whale. For more on the art and purpose of totem poles, see.
Also eye-catching is the Firefighters’Memorial, featuring life-size bronze sculptures of firefighters in action. Engraved on the granite slabs surrounding the sculpture are the names of Seattle firefighters who have been killed in the line of duty since the department’s inception after the Great Fire. The artist is Hai Ying Wu…
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C
Occidental Square
Occidental Square, with its cobblestone plaza flanked by unusually handsome Victorian buildings, is one of the nicest places in this area. Visit Glasshouse Studio to see local artists’ impressive works of blown, cast and lamp-worked glass. If you need a shot of caffeine or a chance to catch your breath, make the pilgrimage to Zeitgeist. This coffeehouse is a local haunt of artists and architects. Along S Jackson St you’ll find an excellent concentration of antique stores and some of the city’s most prestigious galleries.
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D
Central Plaza (Red Square)
The center of campus is more commonly referred to as Red Square because of its base of red brick. It’s not the coziest, but it fills up with students cheerfully sunning themselves on nice days and it looks impressive at night. Broken Obelisk, the 26ft-high stainless-steel sculpture in the square, was made by noted color-field painter Barnett Newman. Just below Red Square is a wide promenade leading to lovely Rainier Vista, with spectacular views across Lake Washington to Mt Rainier.
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