Victor Steinbrueck Park is a 0.8 acre (3,000 m²)
park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
in
Downtown Seattle
Downtown is the central business district of Seattle, Washington. It is fairly compact compared with other city centers on the U.S. West Coast due to its geographical situation, being hemmed in on the north and east by hills, on the west by ...
,
Washington, United States, located just northwest of
Pike Place Market overlooking
Elliott Bay. Named for the Seattle-based architect
Victor Steinbrueck, it is positioned between Western Avenue and the
Alaskan Way Viaduct at the foot of Virginia Street.
History
The park overlaps the former site of the
Washington National Guard Armory, which was originally built around 1909 and damaged by fire in 1962 at a time when the future of the Market itself was a contentious issue.
[Victor Steinbrueck Park]
official site. Accessed online 28 March 2008. It was eventually torn down in 1968.
[Victor Steinbrueck, ''Market Sketchbook'' (1968), University of Washington Press, Seattle, 1978 . No page numbers.] Victor Steinbrueck, who was instrumental in the preservation of nearby Pike Place Market and
Pioneer Square
Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land.
In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...
, wrote of the location in 1968: "One of the grandest downtown lookout places is at Western Avenue where it meets Pike Place and Virginia Street. It has been neglected by the city and its possibilities for enjoyment are ignored except by a few habitués and passing pedestrians."
Steinbrueck was strongly opposed to the demolition of the armory. "Buildings like this," he wrote, "(and there are very few) offer an irreplaceable tie with the past as well as adding variety and interest to new surroundings. Restoration is not at all impossible or difficult for sympathetic designers. Others can always find practical reasons for destruction."
The city purchased the land in 1968, demolished the remnant of the armory, and transferred ownership to the parks department in 1970. The park was landscaped in 1982 as Market Park. Two
cedar totem poles, designed by
Marvin Oliver and carved by James Bender, were added in 1984. After Steinbrueck's death in 1985, the park was renamed after him.
His son
Peter Steinbrueck, also an architect, would later serve on the
Seattle City Council from 1997 to 2007. The totem poles, which do not have indigenous meaning or significance, may be removed.
In December 2022, the park is planned to close for a year-long renovation project to repair the waterproofing under the park, which had deteriorated and leaked water into the parking garage below. The project will also include new furnishings, a replacement pavilion, and upgraded lighting.
See also
* ''
Farmer's Pole
''Farmer's Pole'' is a 1984 cedar totem pole designed by Quinault artist Marvin Oliver, carved by artist James Bender and commissioned by architect Victor Steinbrueck, installed in Seattle's Victor Steinbrueck Park, in the U.S. state of Washingto ...
'' (1984)
* ''
Untitled Totem Pole
''Untitled Totem Pole'' (also known as simply ''Untitled'' or ''Totem Pole'') is a 1984 cedar totem pole created by James Bender and Marvin Oliver, installed in Seattle's Victor Steinbrueck Park, in the U.S. state of Washington.
Description and ...
'' (1984)
References
External links
*, Seattle Parks
{{Pike Place Market
Downtown Seattle
Parks in Seattle
Pike Place Market
1971 establishments in Washington (state)