Pike Place Market
Under a red neon clock that has glowed since the 1920s, farmers have sold straight to the city since 1907.
At a glance
Pike Place Market opened in 1907 to let Seattle’s farmers sell directly to the public and cut out the middlemen. It grew into a warren of stalls, shops and arcades stepping down the hill toward the waterfront. Its neon “Public Market Center” sign and clock are a city emblem, and it is one of the oldest continuously operated public markets in the country.
Key facts
- Location: Pike Street at First Avenue, Seattle
- Opened: 1907
- Type: public farmers’ market
- Landmark: the neon clock and Public Market sign
- Status: a protected historic district
History
Angry at the prices set by middlemen, the city opened a public market where growers could sell their own produce. On the first day in 1907 a handful of farmers sold out within hours, and the market took root.
It spread along the bluff in a tangle of buildings and levels. Threatened with demolition in the 1960s, it was saved by a public vote and made a historic district. The fishmongers, farmers and craftspeople still trade where they always have.
What you see
The market is a maze: open stalls of produce and flowers under the long shed, fishmongers tossing salmon, and lower floors of small shops down the hillside. Above the entrance, the red neon clock and sign, lit since the 1920s, mark the spot every visitor photographs.
Practical information
- Open: daily, market hours
- Cost: free to enter
- Best for: the neon sign, the fish market and the arcades
- Time needed: 45–90 minutes
Getting there
The market is in downtown Seattle above the waterfront, a short walk from the ferries and the Westlake transit station.
Nearby
- Seattle waterfront — the piers and aquarium below the market
- Seattle Art Museum — a few blocks south
Sources
- Encyclopædia Britannica / Wikipedia — Pike Place Market
- HistoryLink / City of Seattle — market history
- Wikimedia Commons — image source and licence
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