Subterranean Seattle

Bill Speidel's Underground Tour

Useful Information

Location:	Seattle Center.
Open:	DEC to FEB Mon-Fri 11, 13, 15, Sat 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, Sun 11, 13, 14, 16. MAR to APR Mon-Thu 11, 13, 14, 16, Fri 11, 13, 14, 16, Sat 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, Sun 11, 13, 14, 16. MAY Mon-Fri 11, 13, 15, 17, Sat 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, Sun 11, 13, 14, 15, 17. JUN Mon-Fri 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, Sat 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, Sun 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18. JUL to AUG Mon-Fri 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, Sat-Sun 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. SEP Mon-Fri 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, Sat-Sun 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18. OCT to NOV Mon-Fri 11, 13, 14, 16, Sat 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, Sun 11, 13, 14, 16. [2005]
Fee:	Adults USD 11, Children (7-12) USD 5, Seniors (60+) USD 9, Students (13-17 or w/valid college ID) USD 9. [2005]
Classification:	Underground City
Light:	electric
Dimension:
Guided tours:	D=90min.
Bibliography:
Address:	The Seattle Underground Tour, Seattle's Pioneer Square, 608 First Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, Tel: +1-206-682-4646.
Last update:	$Date: 2008/07/01 20:31:56 $

History


1889		the Great Seattle Fire.
1965		first underground tours given by Bill Speidel to save Pioneer Square from destruction.

Description

During the Great Seattle Fire in 1889 the entire business district burned to the ground in one day. This desaster lead to a unique and really practical solution: the city was rebuilt one storey higher! The former ground floor is now the basement.

After the fire much of the streets was covered with debris, rocks from destroyed buildings and so forth. The new streets were built on top of this debris, by erecting stone walls on each side of the road and filling the old roads completely with debris. Then the whole structure was surfaced. But the sidewalks were not filled in so there is now an open sublevel sidewalk, about 10m below the streets.

During the first 10 years most of the sidewalks remained as they were, but now they were 10m below ground. Ladders were placed at intersections, and people walking on the sidewalk had to climb up, cross the road, and then climb down to the next sidewalk. Climbing ladders is not a very good idea for elderly people, people with many shopping bags, or ladies with long dresses. And it was also a problem for drunken men, as 17 died by falling from the road.

Bridges were built and some sidewalks were covered by a ceiling. So there were two different sidewalks, one above the other. Bit by bit the stores moved up, as the underground stores were much less attractive to customers.

The development of "moving up" was accelerated by an outbreak of the plague. People avoided the lower sidewalks because of the rats. The number of rats increased so much, the city payed 10 cents for each killed rat. Finally the lower level of the sidewalks was completely abandoned.

The tour starts at 608 First Ave, Seattle's Pioneer Square. The first underground building visited is Doc Maynard's Public House, a saloon from the 1890s. It was restored, and here the tours get a seated introduction first. Then the tour goes outside and follows three blocks of the former city. They are not connected any more, so the trip includes six stairs for getting up and back down for the next section. At the end Rogue's Gallery is reached. It is a museum with exhibits from Seattles past, a museum shop sellong the works of local artisans and an Underground Cafe, with buffalo burgers, BBQ ribs, salads, snacks and espresso on its menu.

Subterranean Seattle

Bill Speidel's Underground Tour

Useful Information

History

Description

See also