This Month in
Pioneer Square
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- Experience complimentary tickets to this year's Seattle Art Fair at Lumen Field
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Browse our calendar for more entertainment and events in May
- Meet our interns, Evelyn and Milin
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2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Week | |
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This month, Seattle will welcome tens of thousands of visitors for one of the biggest annual sporting events in the country: the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game.
The Alliance for Pioneer Square has created a webpage for visitors during All-Star week featuring where to eat before the game, where to watch the game and where to find All-Star Week fun in Pioneer Square. checkout our neighborhood calendar for events happening in Pioneer Square or follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
The Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) is also hosting a variety of events and activations in Occidental Square during All-Star Week, including a Downtown Summer Sounds concert on July 11th from 12-1:30p , A pop-up roller skating rink from July 8th to the 15th from 11a-6p, ‘80s and ‘90s arcade games and a DJ playing tunes in the park on July 8th and 9th from 10a, and a beer garden from July 8th to the 11th from 11a-6p. Keep track of all the fun on the DSA website.
Finally, Visit Seattle has created a webpage to help visitors make the most of their time in Seattle. Whether you're looking for events happening in the All-Star Village or around town, nearby neighborhoods to explore, or transportation resources, this site has it all. Visit Seattle will continue to keep this page updated as new information becomes available.
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Seattle Art Fair, a one-of-a-kind showcase for the vibrant arts community of the Pacific Northwest, and a leading destination for the best in modern and contemporary art, returns to the Lumen Field Event Center for its seventh edition from July 27th to the 30th.
Working alongside Beneficiary Partner Seattle Art Museum, Artistic Director Nato Thompson, and the fair’s dedicated Host Committee, the Seattle Art Fair, founded by the late Paul G. Allen, is a celebrated and productive week bringing together the region’s strong collector base, the Pacific Northwest’s top museums and institutions, and an array of innovative public programming.
Please enjoy complimentary passes here, for access to the fair’s Opening Night, starting at 6pm on Thursday, July 27, as well as unlimited access to the fair all weekend long. 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.
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Curators Dawn Endean and Jane Richlovsky have assembled a group of artists who are pushing the practice of printmaking beyond the two-dimensional plane, particularly in ways that dissect the thought process and mechanics of the medium. At The Exploded View, experience An invitational exhibit featuring sculptures, immersive installations, videos and augmented reality experiences, all anchored in the discipline of Printmaking. The exhibit will run from Thursday, July 27- Sunday July 30th at The Jack (316 Alaskay Way at Jackson Street). | | |
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Seafair is returning in full this summer! That means that a full slate of Seafair events and activities will be coming back, from the downtown Seattle Torchlight parade on July 29th to Fourth of July fireworks over Lake Union.
Other events include the Seafair Air Show featuring the U.S. Navy Blue Angels from August 4th to 6th and Fleet Week along the Seattle waterfront between August 1st and August 6th.
For the full schedule of 2023’s events you can head to Seafair’s website
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Seattle Restored Digital Passport | | |
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Seattle Restored's new free Digital Passport is your guide to pop-up shops and window art displays in iconic Seattle neighborhoods, including Pioneer Square, Belltown, International District, and Downtown. Passport holders will have opportunities to engage with Seattle Restored activations and earn points to redeem prizes from local artists and makers.
100% FREE and a great way to support local business and artists while exploring our city! Bonus: All passport users who check in to at least one Seattle Restored location between now and September 30, 2023 will be eligible for a special Grand Prize Drawing at the end of September!
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Sounders Concert Series
Join the Seattle Sounders in Occidental Square Park for SoundCheck! SoundCheck is a series of pre-match parties with music from local bands, food trucks, games and giveaways. The 90-minute event begins 2.5 hours before kickoff and will feature special appearances from the Sounders mascot, alumni, and your chance to win a signed Sounders jersey or tickets to a future match. For this seasons schedule, visit here.
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Habitat Beach Now Open
The new habitat beach at the foot of Washington Street along the Seattle Waterfront is now open. The beach is a restoration of a part of Elliott Bay's marine ecosystem implemented in conjunction with the Seawall Replacement Project and is designed with a special focus on encourating juvenille salmon migration. The beach is open every day from 7AM to 10 PM.
Photo Credit: Ryan Packer
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Seahawks 2023 Schedule Released
The Seattle Seahawks have announced their 2023-2024 season which includes 10 home games at Lumen Field this season. View all home games as well as the full schedule here.
For Neighborhood Businesses
With the Sounders FC, OL Reign, and Mariners seasons underway, May 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 Center, WAMU Theater, and T-Mobile Park event calendar.
Visit here for an update on the MLB all Star game's event attendance levels and economic impacts, schedule, information on how to prepare your business for All-Star Week, and resources available for the Pioneer Square neighborhood.
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Pioneer Square's
First Thursday Art Walk
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View the Newest Exhibitions and Artists
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 5p to 10p!
Check out www.FirstThursdaySeattle.com to learn more about the event and how to obtain free parking during Art Walk.
Be sure to visit our neighborhood eateries and bars for a bite to eat or to grab a drink.
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.
Photo: Courtesy of Foster White Gallery
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Art Installation Celebration
This First Thursday, a revamped public art installation will be unvield. Natural Movement is a free, publicly accessible kinetic sculpture and installation in Nord alley created from bicycle wheels and painted aluminum disk-canvasses. The installation hosts about ten artists' two-dimensional work affixed to the spinning wheels and one barrel sized prayer wheel.
The celabration event will be held from 5-8pm in Nord Alley (between 1st and Occidental, Main and Jackson) featuring tunes from WIZDUMB.
This project was funded by the Pioneer Square Business Improvement Area Inspiration Fund.
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Looking for more to do? Browse our calendar for more entertainment and events in the neighborhood in July. | |
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Local Business Owner Spotlight:
Billie Swift, Open Books: A Poem Emporium
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It’s been a year since we welcomed Open Books to the neighborhood. Tell us what you loved about the neighborhood/ what made you choose to locate your shop in Pioneer Square?
We adore our new home in Pioneer Square! It's amazing to be part of the historic Good Arts Building, knowing there are visual artists at work upstairs, and in such close walking distance to the waterfront and the light rail. We love all the walk-in traffic and the vibrancy of being downtown and accessible to the rest of the city!
Can you take us through the journey of how the poetry bookstore came to be?
Open Books: A Poem Emporium is one of the only bookstores in the world devoted exclusively to poetry and poetry-related titles. The shop started almost 30 years ago, under the proprietorship of John W. Marshall and Christine Deavel. I took over the store when Marshall and Deavel retired in 2016, and in 2022, the shop moved from Wallingford to its beautiful new home in Pioneer Square.
Please introduce us to the rest of your team.
We have a small but passionate team here at Open Books. The current crew is made up of myself, Laura Paul, London Beirut, Gabrielle Bates, and the occasional intrepid volunteer. All of the Open Books employees are poets themselves, deeply in love with the art as both readers and writers, and we love to make personalized recommendations.
Any specifics to highlight ? Anything you would like to add?
We are expanding our hours to include Sundays (from 12-4pm) this summer! We also have a Parlor space that is available to book by the hour, for anyone looking for a clean, beautiful workspace in Seattle, away from the clutter and distractions of home, for writing, reading, thinking, or co-working.
Additionally, we're thrilled to be launching another iteration of our poetry book subscription service this September, which will be accompanied by a monthly reading group, so everyone should keep an eye out for that! The best way to stay up to date on Open Books happenings is to sign-up for our newsletter or follow us on Twitter/Instagram @openpoetrybooks.
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City Hall Park Restored and
Reopened to the Public
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Last month, Mayor Bruce Harrell joined civic, business, and community members to celebrate the reopening of City Hall Park on 3rd Avenue. After nearly two years of restoration, this 1.3-acre park, adjacent to the King County Courthouse and just a few blocks from City Hall, will now welcome visitors to this iconic downtown location with enhanced amenities and a robust activation activities.
The park’s reopening was announced in Mayor Harrell’s Downtown Activation Plan, which named it a priority for Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) to work with community and businesses to host ongoing activities within the park to draw people downtown and provide a safe, vibrant, healthy space for neighbors, workers, and visitors to recreate.
Moving forward, Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) will regularly host lawn games, food trucks, concerts, art installations, and other park events to promote a positive, welcoming downtown park experience. During the week (Monday-Friday) and during special events, City Hall Park will regularly host a park concierge to provide personalized service to answer visitor questions and improve park user experience. Additionally, City Hall Park will now have permanent park ranger presence funded through the Metropolitan Park District.
On Sunday, July 9th City Hall Park will host two film screenings beginning at noon with A League of Their Own followed by Babe. Food trucks will also be on site during the film screenings.
Visit here for more information about activities taking place in City Hall Park and other downtown parks.
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Meet the Alliance's Interns:
Evelyn and Milin!
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Meet Evelyn and Milin, our new Public Realm and Marketing/Communications interns! They both are joining the Alliance team for the next couple of months, working alongside staff on a variety of projects and programming. Here is a little more about them. | |
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Start by telling us a little bit about yourself.
I am a first-year student in the Master of Urban Planning and Public Health in Community-Oriented Public Health Practice (COPHP) concurrent degree program. Throughout my four years of undergraduate studies, I have worked with different non-profit housing rights organizations and seen firsthand displacement's increasing role in urban planning and state policy priorities and how these processes affect the most marginalized communities.
I am a communications major at the University of Washington with experience in content marketing from working for a Thai restaurant, a cake pop wholesale company, and a wine company. I also run an online cake business called “So Thailicious” which specializes in Thai inspired cakes such as my signature Thai Tea Crepe Cake.
What drew you to this internship/motivated you to join the Alliance for Pioneer Square?
I was attracted to this internship opportunity with the Alliance because of their history of actively engaging with the community and their commitment to the neighborhood's well-being. I am interested in learning more about the importance of community collaboration in nonprofit work and how the public realm is essential in creating more positive public health outcomes for all.
When I first heard about this marketing and communications intern position at the Alliance for Pioneer Square, I was highly motivated to join the team because I love what the organization stands for. As a business owner myself, I wanted to be a part of a team that strives to improve the neighborhood by building and strengthening relationships within the community.
How do you hope to contribute to the organization's goals during your internship?
I hope to use my skills in urban planning and public health to help in the organization's goals of creating more equitable and safe public spaces for all Pioneer Square residents.
I hope to bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to the team during this internship and contribute to the overall creativity within the organization.
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Are there any specific projects you are looking forward to working on during your time here?
I am particularly excited about contributing to the East-West Pedestrian Improvements project and learning more about how it will shape the neighborhood's future.
I'm most excited about the upcoming All-Star Game! I'm looking forward to seeing how the Alliance for Pioneer Square organizes and promotes these big scale events that serve to bring the community together.
What do you hope to learn or gain from your internship experience at the Alliance for Pioneer Square?
I hope to learn more about the day-to-day aspects of community engagement work and to learn more about the history of the neighborhood.
I hope to learn how to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world situations so that I can enhance various skills relevant to this field such as writing, public speaking, market research, social media management, content creation, and data analysis. Additionally, I look forward to building meaningful relationships with mentors, supervisors, and colleagues that will extend beyond the duration of this internship.
Outside of work, what are your hobbies or interests that help you unwind?
I love finding new restaurants and cafes to eat at. Seattle is a great foodie city. I just had lunch at Ohsun Banchan Deli & Cafe, right across from our office, and it was fantastic!
I love to bake! My parents told me that ever since I was young, they would catch me in the kitchen trying out new dessert recipes every day. Because of my love for baking, I decided to start my own online bakery selling Thai-inspired cakes!
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Manage Neighborhood
Social Media Platform
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Hi! We are Matt and Nuria and we moved to Pioneer Square during the pandemic, almost 3 years ago. That’s when we started the Instagram account @pioneersquarediary to capture and share some of the architecture, people, history, daily life, artists & galleries, and little discoveries that make this neighborhood so special.
This project really enriched our experience living in Pioneer Square and became a cherished creative outlet, often in unexpected ways. We made so many wonderful connections with other residents, business owners, artists, etc.
However, we are moving out of town soon and would love for someone to take over the account and continue posting about Pioneer Square. You could be a resident or work in the neighborhood, and if you are interested please message us at @pioneersquarediary.
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New To The Neighborhood, Stuf Storage! | | |
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Looking for a little extra space? Stuf Storage is a tech-enabled self storage facility startup located on South 2nd Ave, right around the corner from Elm's Coffee!
They offer a variety of sizes from small units for extra closet space, to large for big, bulky items or most commonly used by local businesses for extra inventory storage.
Try them out and get 50% off your first 3 months on a minimum 6 month stay with code SEATTLE50! Visit www.stufstorage.com or call (206) 589-5170 if you have any questions.
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Welcoming Returning Office Workers: Foot Traffic Insights and Specials | |
Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office Grant Announcement | |
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It's summer in Pioneer Square! The long, warm days bring changes and excitement to the neighborhood with more and more office workers returning to the district, alongside a busy calendar of events at Lumen Field and T-Mobile Park.
The Alliance receives daily foot traffic data for Pioneer Square from the Downtown Seattle Association on a monthly basis. The data breaks down to provide daily insights, including which days of the week on average have the highest foot traffic in the neighborhood. Find a summary of the average foot traffic per day of the week between January - May 2023 here.
Looking for ways to reach the upper floor office worker audience? The Alliance is collaborating with major neighborhood employers to share any and all discounts, offers, and specials that retail businesses are providing to that audience. Discounts, offers, and specials for upper floor office workers will be listed on the Pioneer Square website as well as communicated directly to major neighborhood employers. To submit a discount, special, or offer email info@pioneersquare.org.
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The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) has announced the award of more than $4.7 million in grants to organizations in 19 counties, to help communities plan for outdoor recreation facilities. Through this grant process, the Alliance for Pioneer Square has been awarded $245,000 towards improving Pioneer Park and engaging the community.
The Alliance for Pioneer Square will use this grant to pay for engineering, design, and public engagement for projects to improve Pioneer Park. The work includes engaging the historically underserved community throughout Pioneer Square, hiring a community facilitator and landscape architect to work with the community, and developing a design for the park that serves the recreational and social needs of the community. Visit the RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project.
Grants awarded ranged from $12,927 to $250,000.The Legislature first funded the Planning for Recreation Access grant program in 2021 as a way to fund planning projects in communities that lack adequate access to outdoor recreation opportunities. The first round of grants were announced in February and the second round was funded by the Legislature in its session that ended in April.
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Pioneer Square Social Media
Takeover Program
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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 us at info@pioneersquare.org if you have any questions.
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Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program’s South Access - Surface Street Connections Project Near Completion | |
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is nearing completion of work on and around 1st Ave S between S Royal Brougham Way and S Dearborn St under the South Access - Surface Street Connections Project. This project was part of the Alaskan Way Viaduct removal and replacement. More information is available here. | |
Neighborhood Construction Updates | |
Waterfront Seattle Construction Ongoing on New Alaskan Way
Waterfront Seattle continues building the new Alaskan Way. Crews have completed Elliott Way, the newly constructed street over the railroad tracks, nestled into the hillside below Pike Place Market between the waterfront and Belltown! Alaskan Way and Elliott Way will be open to traffic from the stadium district at S King St at the south end all the way up to Bell St at the north end.
Elliott Way will have travel lanes in each direction, new sidewalks, landscaping, bike lanes, pedestrian paths and signalized crossings. Additionally, the improved pedestrian bridge and stairs at Lenora St will also be opening to the public along with Elliott Way featuring new railings, landscaping, and a signalized intersection at Elliott Way.
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Pioneer Square
Areaways Program
SDOT has 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.
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Westland Hotel Construction
Project consists of a substantial alteration of the existing six-story Westland Building in the Pioneer Square Preservation District. The masonry and heavy timber structure was originally constructed in 1907 and is being converted into a 120-unit Hotel. Complete renovation includes seismic retrofit, new mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, alarm system, elevators, and envelope improvements to the extent possible with historic preservation requirements. One-story rooftop addition at level 6, and new enclosure over existing Seattle City Light transformer vault. This project is a part of the developer’s larger project, Railspur, which includes the adjacent 419 Occidental and 115 Jackson buildings.
The work to be performed in the upcoming month:
- Continuation of slab demo and footing excavation
- Installation of underground MEP
- Place footings
- Level 2 structural demolition
- Man Lift Erection on North Building Elevation
For the above activities, JTM anticipates the following street/sidewalk/parking/etc. closures:
King St – The North parking lane and sidewalk directly in front of the Westland Building will be closed throughout construction for material staging and delivery. JTM has erected site fencing and cones to keep all construction activities within the fence line. During days with concrete pumping, JTM will be closing the Northern West-Bound lane of King St, as well as the parking lane, for truck staging.
Earl Douglas Alley – The alley from King St to the alley intersection throughout construction for material staging. JTM notes that this will not prohibit access to the bodega, café and bike shop located in the Northern half of the alley at 115 S Jackson. Manlift erection to occur at the intersection of the Earl Douglas Alley. JTM will barricade around erection to keep general public out of harms way.
1st Ave – No closures scheduled at this time.
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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 with an anticipated opening date in January 2024. WG Clark is serving as the General Contractor and BuildingWork is the architect. 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 Metropole Building will feature a childcare center, traditional lease office spaces, an event center with meeting breakout rooms and a large boardroom, ground floor art exhibit space and a rooftop meeting deck. Tenants will have access to amenities such as communal break rooms, complimentary meeting space, storage space and a nursing room.
During the construction phase, the Metropole is seeking tenants to rent space in the office suites and a tenant for the ground floor art gallery/office space. Tenant applications are currently being accepted. For more information about the Metropole, please visit here or reach out to Kendra Walker, Community Steward/Building Manager, at metropolebuilding@satterberg.org.
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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 | |
Resources for Pioneer Square Small Business
The Alliance for Pioneer Square has compiled a series of resources and information intended to assist neighborhood small business owners, managers and employees. The Alliance is committed to supporting Pioneer Square through the pandemic recovery period and beyond:
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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.
Want to feature in future newsletters? Promote you event, business and specials/deals with us by emailing them to info@pioneersquare.org. Be sure to attach an image or graphic along with your promo details.
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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.
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Alliance For Pioneer Square | 206.667.0687
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