Some big changes are coming to Seattle’s iconic Pike Place Market.
This June will mark the opening of the MarketFront project, a $74 million expansion that will add 30,000 square feet of open space to the market, including new commercial and retail space, additional parking and 40 units of low-income housing for seniors.
That’s a big deal for the 110-year-old public market, which was initially established as a place for regional farmers to sell produce and goods to Seattelites. Since then, however, the Pike Place Market has become best known as the city’s premier tourist destination – and for the fish throwing.
The expansion makes good on a 40-year plan to utilize the space once inhabited by the Municipal Market building, which caught fire and was demolished in 1974. City officials had planned to rebuild, but shelved the plans due to high costs of construction around an active train tunnel just underground. For 40 years the site served as an above-ground parking lot instead.
Now, at long last, that area will be reclaimed for farmers and vendors, according to heads of the market, completing the long-held vision for the historic 9-acre neighborhood.
New features include: 30,000 square feet of public space, 47 new rooftop stalls for farmers and artists, 12,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, 300 covered parking spaces, 40 units of low-income senior housing, and multiple public art installations.
Funding for the $74 million project came from the City of Seattle, the Washington Department of Transportation and other fundraising sources.
The expansion “represents the culmination of the vision for the Market,” Ben Franz-Knight, executive director of the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority, said in the press release. “This project also represents the future, as it will provide a vibrant connection between downtown Seattle and the future waterfront.”
The grand opening for the MarketFront will be Thursday, June 29, 2017. Live music, food and activities will mark the occasion.
–Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB
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