Settled in 1852 and burned to the ground in 1889, Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square District features 88 acres of beautifully restored architectural masterpieces, including buildings designed in the Second Renaissance-Revival, Beaux-Arts Classical, and Richardsonian-Romanesque styles... one of the largest collections of unique architecture in the United States.
Seattle’s Historic Pioneer Square District boasts more unique and independently owned shops than any other part of the city. These dusty bookstores, creaky-floored galleries, small boutiques, and quaint eateries now inhabit the Emerald City’s most historic buildings. For those on a budget or in search of a one-of-a-kind gift, the District is the place to shop.
Locals know the Pioneer Square District as the definitive center of Seattle’s vibrant art universe. In fact, the District’s unusually high concentration of fine art galleries and studios makes Pioneer Square one of the most prolific Gallery Districts in the United States.
Whether you live Downtown, or come here to work, shop or play – public safety is important to us all.
Please join us for an interactive Q&A discussion on safety issues important to Downtown, and learn about new strategies to curb crime, open-air drug dealing and aggressive panhandling in our urban core. Register at www.downtownseattle.com.
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Date: Thursday, February 25th at 7:30 am
The Pioneer Square Revitalization Committee continues to gather information and make progress on improving Pioneer Square. This week Donovan Rypkema a revitalization consultant from Place Economics spent 3 days meeting with stakeholders, touring the neighborhood and analyzing economic data and presented his findings to the committee.
Some of his observations were:
The committee was very encouraged by his findings and is looking forward to meeting in January to review his suggestions and develop further plans based on the priorities developed by the neighborhood.
The Pioneer Square Revitalization Committee convened for its first meeting on November 13, 2009 to discuss positive steps that could be taken to improve Pioneer Square. Representatives from the Mayor Nickel’s Office, the Office of Economic Development and Council President Richard Conlin’s office encouraged a wide variety of neighborhood stakeholds to brainstorm on the positives aspects of the neighborhood and opportunities for improvement. Donovan Rypkema, a consultant for commercial district revitalization and re-use of historic buildings will work with the committee at a future meeting TBA and the group hopes to complete their workplan in early Spring 2010. The revitalization initiative mirrors a similar city sponsored effort for Broadway on Capitol Hill from 2006-8. For more information on the Pioneer Square Revitalization Committee, contact Nancy Yamamoto at Nancy.Yamamoto@seattle.gov
The Pioneer Square/International District Community Preservation and Development Authority (PSIDCPDA) announced its 2010 grant program at a public meeting November 11, 2009 at the Panama Hotel Tea and Coffee House. Over 40 neighborhood advocates came to ratify new board members and participate in a discussion about their priorities and the process for applying for projects in 2010. Approximately $150,000 in funds will be available for projects in the two neighborhoods. The PSIDCPDA is a nonprofit organization created by the State of Washington to assist neighborhoods impacted by large public projects. Representative Sharon Tamiko Santos (who was the originator and key sponsor of the legislation), Representative Eric Pettigrew and Senator Adam Kline attended the event. For more information about the PSIDCPDA, contact psidcpda@yahoo.com