- 93 Pike St
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47.60878, -122.340161 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)
- Pig's hoof print closest to 1st Ave
- Second line from the top
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A MARKET ANGEL
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Historical background
Before the creation of the Pike Place Market in 1907, local Seattle area farmers sold their goods to the public in a three-square block area called The Lots. Most produce sold there would then be brought to commercial wholesale houses and most farmers, due to the amount of time required to work their farms, were forced to sell their produce on consignment through those wholesalers. The farmers typically received a percentage of the final sale price for their goods, but there were regular rumors as well as instances of corruption in denying payment to farmers.
As consumers and farmers grew increasingly vocal in their unhappiness over the situation, Thomas P. Revelle, a Seattle city councilman, lawyer, and newspaper editor, took advantage of the precedent of an 1896 Seattle city ordinance that allowed the city to designate tracts of land as public markets. The area of Western Avenue above the Elliott Bay tideflats and the area of the commission food houses had just been turned into a wooden planked road, called Pike Place, off of Pike Street and First Avenue.
In 1963, a proposal was floated to demolish Pike Place Market and replace it with Pike Plaza, which would include a hotel, an apartment building, four office buildings, a hockey arena, and a parking garage. This was supported by the mayor, many on the city council, and a number of market property owners. However, there was significant community opposition. An initiative was passed on November 2, 1971 that created a historic preservation zone and returned the Market to public hands using the donations from the people, whose names you can see in hoof steps on the sidewalk. Over the course of the 1970s, all the Market's historic buildings were restored and renovated using the original plans and blueprints and appropriate materials.
The Market's "Meet the Producer" mandate nowadays includes craftspeople as well as farmers. Both can rent daystalls. One of the Market's major attractions is Pike Place Fish Market, where employees throw three-foot salmon and other fish to each other rather than passing them by hand. When a customer orders a fish, an employee at the Fish Market's ice-covered fish table picks up the fish and hurls it over the countertop, where another employee catches it and preps it for sale.
Present in routes of categories Lion-Mini, Griffin
Passed by: 22/24 (92%).
By categories:
- Griffin: 4/4 (100%)
- Lion-Mini: 18/20 (90%)