The State Hotel Seattle

The Pioneer Square district isn’t hard to find. If you’re downtown, head due south to get to Seattle’s oldest neighborhood. You’ll know you’re there when you start seeing elegantly renovated brick buildings from the turn of the century. This area was, literally, “skid row” in Gold Rush Seattle, where cut trees were slid down greased logs to the sawmill. It became the center of city commerce.

When the fire of 1889 essentially turned the small city of Seattle into one large barbecue, the first area to be rebuilt was around Pioneer Square. The architectural-style models for the rebuild were based on the Richardsonian Romanesque buildings in Chicago and on the East Coast. These buildings have a heavy masonry base and employ a Roman arch.

The first thing to do once you arrive in Pioneer Square is to stroll around the park and admire the architecture. The appealing late 19th-century brick and stone buildings are the primary reason that Pioneer Square is a designated National Historic District as well as a local preservation district.

Although rising rentals have driven all except the well-established artists and galleries from the Pioneer Square district, for a long time, it was the art center of the city. Many art galleries and arty things to do remain, including an art walk that takes place the first Thursday of every month – the first art walk in the country.

Don’t miss a peek into the Davidson Galleries in the Contemporary Print & Drawing Center. The contemporary print exhibits are especially fascinating. Flury & Co displays a spectacular collection of Edward Curtis photos and Native American arts and crafts; find it right on the square. Other famed galleries include the Greg Kucera Gallery and the James Harris Gallery.

When Pioneer Square was rebuilt after the fire, it was raised to a level equivalent to one story. That means an expansive web of subterranean passageways and basements run beneath Pioneer Square. Explore them by taking a Bill Speidel Underground Tour.

Speidel was a former Seattle Times reporter who decided to help preserve historic Seattle. He put together this tour and injected it with his humor and sardonic wit. On it, you’ll learn the general history of the city and some salty anecdotes about Seattle’s early days.

If you can swing by Occidental Park, a picturesque cobblestone park in the Pioneer Square neighborhood, on the first Thursday of any month, you’re in for a treat. Local artisans set up makeshift booths and sell their delicious products. Don’t miss eating something from the city’s finest artisan bakery, the Grand Central Bakery.