Seattle Art Museum - Meet Hammering Man

Photo: Chanilim714, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)

A stop on Seattle Pike Place and Downtown, a free self-guided tour.

At the corner of First Avenue and University Street, a 48-foot black steel figure swings its hammer, slowly and endlessly. This is Hammering Man by artist Jonathan Borofsky, installed in 1992 outside the Seattle Art Museum. He's a tribute to working people everywhere. His arm strikes about four times a minute through most of the day, then rests overnight and, fittingly, on Labor Day.

Borofsky has built Hammering Men for cities around the world, from Frankfurt to Seoul, and Seattle's is one of the tallest.

The museum behind him, known around town as SAM, opened this building in 1991 in a design by Robert Venturi's firm. Inside are collections that range from Northwest Coast Native art to African, Asian and European works. Admission is charged, so check the website for hours and prices.

Across University Street, the Harbor Steps make a broad public staircase stepping down toward the water. It's a good place to sit for a minute and watch the hammer fall.

Getting here: Walk north on Fourth Avenue to University Street, then head downhill (west) on University to First Avenue. Hammering Man stands on the corner.

Did you know?: Hammering Man's first installation attempt, in September 1991, ended with the sculpture falling while it was being lifted into place. It went back to the foundry for repairs and finally went up in 1992.

Photo op: Stand across First Avenue and wait for the arm to come down so you catch the hammer at the bottom of its swing.

More on Wikipedia: Hammering Man · Seattle Art Museum · Jonathan Borofsky · Robert Venturi

Seattle Art Museum - Meet Hammering Man

Stops on this tour