HistoryLink.org

Seattle’s Changing Waterfront

This week HistoryLink.org looks at the history of Seattle's waterfront, the focus of this year's HistoryLunch fundraiser. After Puget Sound was formed by tectonic shifts and the advance and retreat of glaciers, the eastern shore of Elliott Bay was used for centuries as a gathering place for Puget Sound Indian tribes. When the Denny Party arrived in 1851, they landed at Alki Point before staking claims across the bay for the express purpose of building a city. 

The deep-water harbor provided excellent moorage for ships exporting lumber and coal, especially after low spots and tidal flats were filled in to create more usable waterfront. As the city grew, the Mosquito Fleet carried travelers to and from its shore. And in 1897, the waterfront became a nexus for thousands of sourdoughs seeking gold in the Klondike.

By the turn of the century, the waterfront had become vital to trade with the Pacific Rim, which flourished after the creation of Harbor Island in 1909 and the Port of Seattle in 1911. By this time, streets and railroads crowded the shoreline, necessitating construction of a seawall to keep the waters at bay.

The seawall redefined the contours of the central waterfront at a time when traditional maritime activities were on the cusp of change. Most freight was handled on Harbor Island, and although the central waterfront was used as an embarkation point in both World Wars, it soon fell into decline -- more so when the Alaskan Way Viaduct severed it from downtown.

The Viaduct’s Rise and Fall

Planning and design of the viaduct took years, and construction didn't begin until 1950. The final phase of the project was completed in 1959, and in 1966 the last piece put in place was the sole on-ramp from central downtown. Other connections were planned but never implemented, partly due to a shift in emphasis to Interstate 5, then being completed.

The viaduct had its critics, many of whom felt that the elevated roadway had a negative impact on the city's central waterfront. The debate raged for years, but there was no viable alternative for shifting traffic to a different route. It wasn't until the 2001 Nisqually Quake damaged the aging viaduct's joints and struts that serious consideration was given to either removing, rebuilding, or redesigning the roadway.

After a decade of extensive debate, replacing the viaduct with a deep-bore tunnel garnered enough support, and the first phase of demolition of the southern end of the span began in 2011. Construction of the tunnel began in 2013, and it opened to traffic in 2019. A few months later, the last pieces of the viaduct came down.

And so we enter a new era of history along the Seattle waterfront as it is being transformed into a vast public park that will extend from Pioneer Square and the sports stadiums to Pier 62. Visitors will enjoy lush gardens and elevated views, with easy access to existing waterfront amenities such as restaurants, shops, the Seattle Aquarium, a modernized ferry terminal, and more. Over the years, the waterfront has undergone a variety of changes, but soon will be a welcome gathering place for many years to come.