Victor Steinbrueck Park - The Man Who Saved the Market

Photo: Wknight94, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)

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

At the north end of the market, this grassy bluff looks out over Elliott Bay, the green-and-white ferries and, on a clear day, the snowy Olympic Mountains. It's named for Victor Steinbrueck, a University of Washington architecture professor who loved the old market.

When planners proposed tearing down most of Pike Place Market in the 1960s, Steinbrueck helped lead the fight to keep it, sketching its buildings and rallying his neighbors. Their campaign ended with the 1971 vote that made the market a protected historic district. This park opened that same year and took his name after he died in 1985.

The park is also home to two cedar poles designed by Native artist Marvin Oliver and installed in 1984. They were taken down for restoration during a recent renovation, so look to see whether they're back in place.

Find a bench, unpack your market picnic and watch the boats come and go. Steinbrueck turns up again at the very end of this walk.

Getting here: Continue north to the end of Pike Place, where it meets Western Avenue and Virginia Street. The park opens out on your left.

Did you know?: Before the park, this corner held a Washington National Guard armory built around 1909. Fire damaged it in 1962 and it was torn down in 1968.

Photo op: Walk to the railing on the west side for a wide view of Elliott Bay and the ferries, with the Olympic Mountains behind on a clear day.

More on Wikipedia: Victor Steinbrueck Park · Victor Steinbrueck · Elliott Bay · Olympic Mountains

Victor Steinbrueck Park - The Man Who Saved the Market

Stops on this tour