Pike Street is an east-west street in Seattle. It extends from Pike Place above Seattle's saltwater waterfront at Elliott Bay through Downtown Seattle , across Capitol Hill to the freshwater shore of Lake Washington at Lake Washington Boulevard . A segment less than a block long exists at Alaskan Way on Elliott Bay, connected to the rest of the street only by the pedestrian Pike Street Hill Climb ; the bottom of the hillclimb under the Alaskan Way Viaduct was the original shoreline of the city before major modification and construction of the Seattle Seawall . It is included in the south-to-north mnemonic "Jesus Christ Made Seattle Under Protest" for the street layout of Seattle .
29-612: The street was one of the original named streets of Seattle in Arthur A. Denny 's 1869 platting. It was named by him for John Pike, architect and builder of the Washington Territorial University in what is now the Metropolitan Tract of downtown Seattle. Until the early 20th century Denny Regrade leveled Denny Hill, it was the easiest way from the waterfront to Lake Union, and the main street of
58-537: A Speakers' Corner . 5th Avenue and Pike is the heart of the Seattle downtown shopping district, the Pike–Pine retail corridor, which includes Westlake Center and Pacific Place , both of which are on blocks touching Pike Street. Smaller notable retail establishments on the street include historic landmark Coliseum Theater (the city's first movie theater) and Monorail Espresso (the world's first espresso cart, now in
87-523: A city program begun in 2015. It was temporarily closed to automobile traffic and opened to exclusive pedestrian, business and community uses that included yoga classes, in-street cafe dining, arts and crafts fairs, a fashion show, and other activities. The program was repeated several times in 2016 and 2017. The westernmost block of Pike Street, between 1st and 2nd avenues, was closed for renovations in March 2023. It remained closed to vehicles after construction
116-583: A civil engineer and Knox County surveyor starting in 1843. In 1843, he married Mary Ann Boren; together they had six children: Louisa Catherine Frye, Margaret Leona Denny, Rolland Herschell Denny, Orion Orvil Denny, Arthur Wilson Denny, and Charles Latimer Denny. In 1851, he led the Denny Party west. Leaving Illinois in April, they arrived in Portland , Oregon on August 23. In November, he booked passage on
145-453: A dam separating Pike Place Market and its 9 million annual visitors from the city's shopping and convention areas". In the 21st century, Second and Third Avenues between the same two streets has a similar reputation. The Seattle Business Association CEO said "drug dealers sort of own the real estate in that part of downtown" and the mayor called it "a dangerous open-air drug market" with 10,000 calls for police response in one year, according to
174-447: A downtown revitalization project. Among the changes is a woonerf between 1st and 2nd avenues that would replace the existing cherry trees and widen the sidewalks. In the 21st century the street remains the "epicenter of Seattle's gay culture ". According to one guide, Seattle's gay neighborhood is "centered on Pike Street between Belmont Avenue and 18th Avenue". Pike was an experimental "people street", or temporary pedestrian zone , in
203-620: A permanent location), both downtown; and Elysian Brewing Company and Elliott Bay Books either on the street or on blocks bounded by the street on Capitol Hill. The original REI store was also on a Capitol Hill block bounded by Pike and Pine until it relocated in the 1990s. The intersection of Pike and Broadway on Capitol Hill is the south end of another business district represented by the Broadway Improvement Area, authorized by city ordinance. The Washington State Convention Center straddles Pike Street at 7th Avenue and
232-556: The Seattle Queer Film Festival (formerly known as the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival ) and Seattle Pride . The Pride ASIA festival "draw[s] attention to the vibrant cultures that make up Seattle’s queer Asian American and Pacific Islander communities." The city also hosts Trans Pride Seattle . Seattle Gay News is an LGBTQ newspaper. Waxie Moon is a documentary about the performer of
261-554: The United States General Land Office . He served as territorial delegate to the thirty-ninth United States Congress . Denny soon turned from politics to business. He returned to being a partner with Horton and Phillips, this time by taking a half interest in Dexter Horton and Co., the bank founded by Horton and Phillips in 1870, which would eventually become Seattle-First National Bank . He
290-524: The schooner Exact and the party sailed on to Puget Sound , arriving at Alki Point on Elliott Bay on November 13, 1851. It soon became clear that Alki was not the best spot for a settlement. The Denny Party relocated to the east shore of Elliott Bay, near what is now Pioneer Square , the original heart of what became the city of Seattle. On February 15, 1852, Denny and others filed their claims . Denny soon established himself selling cargo on commission for ship captains. On November 25, 1852, Denny
319-625: The territorial legislature. Seattle's former Denny Hill was named after him; it was flattened in a series of regrading projects and its former site is now known as the Denny Regrade . The city's Denny Way , however, is named not after Arthur Denny, but after his younger brother David Denny . Denny was born near Salem , Washington County , Indiana ; by the time he was attending school his family had settled in Knox County , Illinois . His father, John Denny (1793–1875), fought in
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#1732772608220348-635: The Land is a cooperative housing organization that started in 2016 in Beacon Hill that provides housing for LGBTQ local residents. Notable drag performers from Seattle include BenDeLaCreme , Bosco , Irene Dubois , James Majesty , Jinkx Monsoon , Monikkie Shame , and Robbie Turner . Two wellness centers housed within Seattle Public Schools provide gender affirming care. All centers follow legal state guidelines. Gender affirming care
377-587: The city and the FBI. The U.S. Department of Justice cited "what has become an open air drug market at Pike/Pine and Third Avenue in downtown Seattle" in 2015. Westlake Park between Pike and Pine Streets is a public square in the downtown retail area. The park and surrounding streets have been the site of the exercise of free speech , marches and protests including the 1999 Seattle WTO protests , Occupy Seattle in 2011, Black Lives Matter annual protests since 2014, and Women's March on Seattle in 2017. The park contains
406-748: The city of Seattle has protected gay and lesbian workers since the passage of the Fair Employment Practice Ordinance in 1973. Seattle's LGBTQ culture has been celebrated at Seattle Pride which began in 1977 as Gay Pride Week . Gay cabaret traveled in a circuit including Seattle and San Francisco since the 1930s. Seattle had gay-friendly clubs and bars since the 1930s including The Casino in Underground Seattle at Pioneer Square which allowed same-sex dancing since 1930, and upstairs from it, The Double Header , in continuous operation since 1933 or 1934 until 2015,
435-621: The former administration building (built 1895) is named in his honor. In 1962, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum . Denny was an ascetic , a devout Christian (conservative in his religion to the point of opposing a divorce law), and a lifelong teetotaler . Indeed, he was teetotal to the point where he had the customers of his store buy their liquor direct from visiting ship captains so that he would not be involved in
464-460: The north end of the city (boundaries now defined roughly by Downtown Seattle). In 1872, Seattle's first railroad, Seattle Coal & Transportation Company, followed Pike Street to deliver Newcastle, King County coal to Elliott Bay transshipped via Lake Washington and Lake Union. It lasted until 1878 when Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad built a direct line from the fields, around the lake and through Renton. The Pike–Pine corridor on Capitol Hill
493-432: The right to vote. The resolution was voted down. This dour man is nonetheless remembered for at least one example of his wit. In his memoir, recounting his failure in 1853 to reach agreement with David Swinson "Doc" Maynard over what was intended to be a joint plat of the town of Seattle, he wrote, "it was found that the doctor, who occasionally stimulated a little, had that day taken enough to cause him to feel that he
522-472: The same name . Notable LGBTQ organizations in Seattle include Equal Rights Washington , Gay City Health Project , Gender Justice League , Pride Foundation , and Lambert House LGBTQ youth center. The renowned Seattle Women's Chorus and Seattle Men's Chorus together are among the largest community choral organizations in North America, and stand out among the largest LGBTQ-identified choruses in
551-516: The transactions. He was a political conservative , and a cautious and conservative businessman and investor. Denny, in his memoir, described his decision to head north from Portland to Puget Sound as a "desperate venture". Lorraine McConaghy, historian at Seattle's Museum of History and Industry , agrees, but characterizes it further as "the only one he ever undertook." Denny supported the right of women to vote, going so far as to introduce legislation in 1854 to allow white women of 18 years and older
580-399: The two sections are spanned by a skybridge crossing over Pike, the convention center's "signature element" but one that was controversial when built, due to its obstruction of views of Elliott Bay from Capitol Hill, and other architectural and public space considerations. In February 2023, construction of an improved pedestrian and cyclist corridor on Pine and Pike streets began as part of
609-682: The western battles of the War of 1812 and later served in the Illinois state legislature, elected as a Whig . (He eventually traveled west with the Denny Party, but stayed on in Oregon 's Willamette River Valley when Arthur and several others moved north to Puget Sound.) Denny did not have an easy childhood. He cared for his invalid mother while attending half-days in a log schoolhouse. He learned carpentry, taught school, studied surveying, and became
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#1732772608220638-579: The world. They are among the Pacific Northwest's most vibrant music organizations, performing for an annual audience of more than 30,000 patrons across the Puget Sound. The Northwest Network founded by lesbians in 1987 support survivors of abuse and foster empowerment in the LGBT community. Pride Place is an upcoming housing and social service development aimed at LGBTQ senior care. Queer
667-477: Was a county commissioner first for Thurston County (in what was then still part of the Oregon Territory ), and then, after Washington became a separate territory, for King County , where Seattle is located. He also served as Seattle's first postmaster and in the territorial House of Representatives for nine consecutive terms, including serving a term as speaker. From 1861 to 1865 he was registrar of
696-721: Was a delegate at the Monticello Convention that produced a petition to US Congress to split the Oregon Territory , creating the Washington Territory , which would later become the state of Washington. In 1854 when he began a general merchandise partnership with Dexter Horton and David Phillips. In 1855, he volunteered to serve in the Indian War then taking place in Washington Territory. He served in several political offices. He
725-456: Was finished in June to promote it as a "green and healthy" street and add pedestrian space in downtown. Arthur A. Denny Arthur Armstrong Denny (June 20, 1822 – January 9, 1899) was an American politician and businessman who is regarded as one of the founders of Seattle , Washington . He founded the Denny Party , and was later the city's wealthiest citizen. He was a 9-term member of
754-479: Was not only monarch of all he surveyed, but what Boren and I had surveyed as well." It was later shown in a review done by a professional engineering firm on behalf of the city that it was in fact Denny that was wrong about the direction the streets should run and had actually violated the law in his plat of the city. LGBT culture in Seattle Seattle has a notably large LGBTQ community, and
783-493: Was once the city's center for automobile sales. After this moved to the suburbs, rents declined and it became a hub for gay culture and Seattle's grunge scene. Gentrification the 21st century brought increasing property values. The Seattle Times said, "For decades, the Pike-Pine corridor between First and Third avenues has been known for run-down buildings, parking lots prone to drug deals and heroin addicts ... effectively
812-669: Was president of the Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad Company and an investor in the Great Western Iron and Steel Company . Later in life, he was active in the Society of Washington Pioneers and wrote a memoir, Pioneer Days in Puget Sound . Among his other achievements, he was involved in founding the University of Washington and donated much of the land for its original site . On the current U.W. campus, Denny Hall ,
841-537: Was thought to be the oldest gay bar in the United States. Seattle's gay shopping and recreation area is centered on Capitol Hill with rainbow-painted crosswalks , bars, bookstores and other venues. In 2013, Seattle overtook San Francisco as the United States city with the most households composed of gay or lesbian couples (2.6%), and was the only U.S. city with more than 1% of the households being lesbian couples. Notable LGBTQ events in Seattle include
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