July News + Updates
It’s official, FIFA World Cup 2026 is coming to Lumen Field!
This Month in Pioneer Square
Press
Highlights
  • Hello Summer! Enjoy live performances and local music in Pioneer Square

  • Trail to Treasure tours are back at the Klondike

  • Enjoy complimentary tickets to this year's Seattle Art Fair at Lumen Field

  • Apply for the Pioneer Square Façade Improvement Fund

  • Enjoy Free parking every Saturday and during First Thursday Artwalk in Pioneer Square

  • And More!
Summertime in the Square
Its Summertime in your favorite neighborhood! Enjoy the following entertainment in Pioneer Square this July.
Luigi's Italian Eatery Reopens
Trail to Treasure Summer Tours
Luigi's Italian Eatery is now open at its new location at 211 1st Ave S.

For the best, most authentic Italian food in the city, visit the restaurant, open Wednesday to Saturday from 12-7p.
The Klondike's Trail to Treasure tours return this summer, from July 1st to September 2nd.

The one-hour Trail to Treasure guided walks will be offered at 2 pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Groups will be limited to 12 people and a sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk on the day of each tour.

The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 5pm.
Seattle Art Fair
Seattle Art Fair, presented by AIG, returns to the Lumen Field Event Center on July 21st to the 24th. The fair's celebrated weekend will bring 85 top local, national and international galleries together with the region's strong collector base.

Seattle Art Fair's anticipated sixth edition will also highlight the region's museums and institutions while featuring an array of innovative installations, events, talks and performances curated by author, curator and self-described “cultural infrastructure builder” Nato Thompson, returning again as the fair's Artistic Director.

Please enjoy Complimentary 1-Day Passes here, providing entry to the fair for one day during public fair hours. The pass allows for up to FOUR downloads per unique email address, so enjoy the fair with family, friends and loved ones.

Visit the Seattle Art Fair website to learn more about this year's event.
SeaFair
After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Seafair will be returning in full this summer. That means that the full slate of Seafair events and activities will be coming back, from Fourth of July fireworks over Lake Union to the downtown Seattle Torchlight parade on July 30th.
Other events include the Green Lake Milk Carton Derby on July 16th, the Seafair Triathlon at Lake Sammamish Park on July 24th, Fleet Week along the Seattle waterfront between August 1st and August 5th and Lake Washington’s Seafair Weekend Festival featuring the Blue Angels starting August 5th.
For the full schedule of 2022’s events you can head to Seafair’s website
Pastry Project Soft Serve
Swirl Cards


Visit the soft serve window at the Pastry Project, located at 165 South Main Street, Fridays to Sundays from 1-8pm for soft serve cups & cones, soft serve cakes, soft serve cookie sammies and frozen take & bake cookie dough!

Purchase Swirl Card gift cards for your employees starting at $7.50 with a 10% discount when you buy 100 or more cards . Each card is good for one cup or cone of soft serve plus one topping. 
Pottery classes available
July 8th - September 1st
at Pottery Northwest
Pottery Northwest's summer quarter registrations are now open for instructor-led classes.

Pottery Northwest 10-week pottery classes are open to adults of all skill levels and cover a wide range of topics including hand building, pottery wheel and glazing techniques.

Visit here to register.

Pioneer Square's
First Thursday Art Walk
2022-2023 Pioneer Square Map and Guide
Join Seattle’s Original First Thursday Art Walk in Pioneer Square. The art walk is FREE & self-guided, every First Thursday of the month and parking is free from 5pm to 10pm!

Check out www.FirstThursdaySeattle.com to learn more about the event and how to obtain free parking during Art Walk.
Last month, The Alliance for Pioneer Square announced the release of its annual Neighborhood Map and Guide for the year 2022-2023. 

Checkout our newly installed banners at 419 Occidental Ave S, highlighting this year's brochure.

The new Pioneer Square Map and Guide brochure is now available in print form at various local Pioneer Square establishments and online on the Alliance website.
Looking for more to do? Browse our calendar of events for more entertainment and events in the neighborhood in July.
For Neighborhood Businesses

With the Sounders FC, OL Reign and Mariners returning to the field, July will see plenty of foot traffic coming and going from the south end of the district. 

To better inform business operations on game and event days, follow this link to the Lumen Field and Event CenterWAMU Theater and T-Mobile Park June event calendar.
Free Parking Saturdays

Parking is free at the Butler Garage (114 James St) from 11a-8p each Saturday with proof of purchase from a neighborhood business. You can also check out the mobile-friendly DowntownSeattleParking.com website for more parking locations throughout the neighborhood.

Save with Veo BikeShare

Save $5 with code PIONEERSQ on First Thursday Artwalk with Veo, one of Seattle's new bikeshare providers.

Learn more about their class II e-bikes in Seattle here.
Alliance ED Lisa Howard on Organization's Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Recently, we announced our organizational “Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” statement. This statement, crafted with support by consultant group BDS Planning, details the Alliance for Pioneer Square’s commitment to developing and embedding a race and social equity framework within our organization’s foundation.

This is a commitment to use our position as a leader, advocate, and trusted steward in the neighborhood to support populations within our community that are experiencing barriers to thriving, both economically and personally, due to the impacts of historic and ongoing systemic racism and oppression. 

In this month’s staff interview, Lisa Dixon Howard, Executive Director of the Alliance, talks about what the “Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” statement means for the organization and what’s next. 
The Alliance Welcomes
Jordan Habenicht to the Team
The Alliance welcomes the newest member of our team, Jordan Habenich, to Pioneer Square. Jordan has joined the Alliance as Economic Development Director as of June 2022.

Jordan joins us following the completion of his Master of Public Administration at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance which he obtained while serving as Associate Manager at Expedia.

As Economic Development Director, Jordan is responsible for supporting existing and potential businesses within Pioneer Square through economic development strategies, business recruitment, relationship building and exploring entrepreneurial programs. Welcome to the team, Jordan!
Apply Now: Pioneer Square Façade Improvement Fund
Earlier this year, the Alliance for Pioneer Square announced another round of funding through the Façade Improvement Fund, providing financial support to Pioneer Square business and property owners who embark on projects to improve the overall appearance of their building facades and storefronts. Here is a look at some of the projects that have been funded and completed so far.
Before:
Intrigue Chocolate Co.
157 S Jackson St.
Tat's Delicatessen Inc.
3940 SW Southern St.
After:

(window anti-scratch film applied)
Applications are still open to properties and businesses within the Pioneer Square District boundaries. For program eligibility, frequently asked questions and how to apply, visit the Alliance for Pioneer Square website. If you have any questions about this program, please reach out to [email protected]. 

Funding for the Façade Improvement Fund is made possible by Historic South Downtown and the City of Seattle Office of Economic Development .

Pioneer Square Social Media
Takeover Program
Neighborhood Discounts and Specials
Each Friday, we give neighborhood businesses and organizations the opportunity to share a series of photo and video content to the Alliance for Pioneer Square’s social media channels via stories, feed posts and live video updates, for the entire day.

Fill out the Google Form to get started with the process or email our Marketing Manager, Thembela Mavuso at [email protected] if you have any questions.
With several larger employers bringing back their workforce to Pioneer Square after nearly two years of remote work, we want to give your staff a warm welcome!

The Alliance has created a web page and a one page document for the returning upper floor office staff to make the transition back to the office as seamless as possible. In addition to providing returning workers with information on how to engage with the neighborhood and shop local, we are also rounding up neighborhood retailers’ discounts or specials for upper floor folks.

If your staff need additional resources to support their return to work, please contact us at [email protected].
Partner Efforts

Poems In Transit Seattle Restored Pioneer Square Display
Frye Hotel Receives
Historic Preservation Award
"Poems in Transit," an art and poetry exhibit window display by Arami Walker and James Prouty is now on show at the Frye on 217 Yesler Way in Seattle.

Poems In Transit is an exhibition that transports viewers to different parts of the world through images and poetry. This exhibit is sponsored by Seattle Restored and will run through August. Click here for more info.
Historic Seattle recently announced its 2022 Preservation Award winners. The Frye Apartments received the Outstanding Stewardship Award, recognizing the major renovation of the building in 2020/21.

Originally opened as the Frye Hotel in 1911, the Low Income Housing Institute has invested in the Frye Apartments for over three decades to transform the building into one that offers permanent supportive housing to 234 families and individuals.

Learn more about the award here.
Neighborhood Construction Updates
Waterfront Seattle Construction Ongoing on New Alaskan Way

Waterfront Seattle continues building the new Alaskan Way.

Earlier this year, Waterfront Seattle completed installing new roadway markings on the east side of Alaskan Way, allowing King County Metro buses to begin using the new northbound transit lane. King County Metro has opened two new bus stops, one northbound and one southbound, on Alaskan Way S near S Jackson St. New bus shelters will be added to the new bus stops this summer.

The Waterfront Seattle Program construction has contributed to building the foundations (including concrete and electrical infrastructure) needed for these new bus stops and transit lanes on Alaskan Way S, between S King and Columbia streets. Head to Waterfront Seattle's website for more information and to sign up for email updates. Text "WFSCN" to 474747 to receive text updates. You may also contact Waterfront Seattle via email or by phone at (206) 499-8040.
Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program’s
New Connection on Railroad Way Underway

Work is now underway on the final project of the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program, which will turn Railroad Way into a pedestrian-oriented plaza and make other significant improvements near the south end of the State Route 99 Tunnel.

The work zone on First Avenue South has shifted toward the east curb lane. Crews placed gravel and temporary asphalt in the middle of First Avenue South, between South Royal Brougham Way and South Dearborn Street. The northbound travel lanes will be shifted west, atop this temporary asphalt, so crews can begin work on the eastern edge of the street.

Crews will eventually remove this asphalt and pour concrete in its place, but this temporary condition will keep traffic moving on First Avenue South while crews advance work on the east side of the street. This new work will take place south of the First Avenue South / Railroad Way South intersection, which will remain in its current configuration for the time being.

Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation expect to complete construction in 2023.
Pioneer Square
Areaways Program

SDOT recently completed safety inspections of the Pioneer Square areaways. Curb lane restrictions will remain in place while SDOT continues to monitor, evaluate and strengthen the areaway street walls throughout Pioneer Square. 

For more information, please visit the SDOT Areaways webpage or contact the SDOT Areaways team at [email protected] or 206-684-3760.  
Metropole Building Construction Updates

In 2019, Satterberg Foundation, a Seattle-based family foundation, purchased the historic Metropole Building, located at 423 2nd Ave Extension S. The primary motivation of this purchase was to provide centrally located, long-term office space for non-profit organizations committed to serving communities of color in response to social and environmental needs and challenges.

Crews began demolition on the project in late April and the estimated timeframe for renovations is 18 months. The re-design and renovation of the building has been curated with the careful consideration of the current and future needs of the community and will adhere to the highest sustainability standards including LEED Platinum Certification and compliance with the Seattle 2030 District Goals. The building will feature a childcare center, rooftop community event space, conference meeting space, community kitchen and office space for nonprofit organizations. Visit here for more information.

Currently Satterberg is looking for a nonprofit art organization to hold classes, sell art and utilize the ground floor space. The foundation is also looking for nonprofit BIPOC organizations to rent office space on the 2nd and 3rd floor. Please reach out to Kendra for more information at [email protected].
Visit The Alliance for Pioneer Square’s website for an interactive project map and up to date information on of current and future public realm projects.
Business News and Updates
COVID-19 Resources for Pioneer Square Small Business

The Alliance for Pioneer Square recognizes the public health and economic impact of the COVID-19 virus on Seattle’s small business community. We have compiled a series of resources intended to assist small business owners, managers and employees minimize the public health and economic impact of the COVID-19 virus on themselves and their community. We will revise this and all associated pages with more information as it becomes available- please check back for updates.






Stay Engaged!
Find us on Facebook

Are you a resident or business owner in the neighborhood? The Alliance for Pioneer Square Facebook page communicates resident and business owner specific news/information to compliment our more general Pioneer Square Facebook page.

Pioneer Square Business Owners and Managers Facebook page: The Pioneer Square Business Owners & Managers Facebook group is a private platform providing business owners and managers in the neighborhood the opportunity to connect, ask questions and share support among one another while collectively navigating the current health crisis and resulting economic challenges. Request to join the group here.
Please consider a gift to the Alliance for Pioneer Square and help us to ensure Pioneer Square remains a strong, vibrant neighborhood. We cannot do it without you.
Alliance For Pioneer Square | 206.667.0687