Seattle has earned a reputation for endless process and debate — whether or not to extend the Monorail, how to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct or picking the best route for rapid rail. Recently debate has centered on reopening Victor Steinbrueck Park, the grassy area at the north end of the Pike Place Market.
In recent speeches, Mayor Bruce Harrell has been calling for the park, closed for renovation since 2019, to reopen sometime this month. But before reopening, the Pike Place Historical Commission first wants reassurance the park’s two totem poles will be refurbished and then reinstalled.
The mayor’s desire and the Historical Commission requirement appear on a collision course. The Seattle Times has referred to the conflict as “a hiccup in the city’s grand plan.”
Timing of the park’s reopening currently rests with Seattle Parks and Recreation. A bit of history: Removal of the poles that towered over Steinbrueck Park for 40 years was a necessary first step in the Park’s reconstruction. A water-tight membrane beneath the Park had been leaking into the Market’s underground garage.
When a giant crane lifted the iconic totems and carted them off to storage, Seattle Parks senior project manager Shannon Glass was reassuring. She said the 40-foot poles would be “refurbished and reinstalled with fanfare.”
But then Seattle Parks reneged on its promise. Some local tribal members were pushing for their removal. They wanted the poles, crafted in the style of Northern tribes like the Haida, replaced with more traditional Coast Salish art. Also backing the request for the poles’ removal were then-Seattle City Councilmembers Deborah Juarez and Sally Bagshaw, who proposed shipping the poles off to the Museum of History and Industry.
Among those strongly opposed to the poles’ replacement were former City Councilmember Peter Steinbrueck, son of Market savior Victor Steinbrueck, as well as Marylin Oliver whose brother, the late Martin Oliver, a Quinault artist and University of Washington Indian Studies professor. It was Martin who designed the poles, personally selected the red cedar trees for the project and supervised the carving. The poles vary in design; one is a totem following traditional Northwest Coast design (a bear, an orca and a raven holding a Salish spinning whorl); the other pole is topped with a man and a woman standing back-to-back, a tribute to Market merchants.
Nevertheless in December, Seattle Parks formally asked the Pike Place Historical Commission to authorize the poles’ permanent removal. David Graves, a Park Department strategic adviser said, “We heard loud and clear that the poles are not representative of local culture.”
But the Historical Commission, recognizing the poles’ long history and importance to the Public Market, denied Parks’ application. When voting to reject, Commissioner Elisa Shostak attacked Parks for having stored the poles, uncovered and a few inches off the ground, for many months. As Lisa Steinbrueck, Victor’s daughter, commented, “If Parks’ wanted the destroy the poles, this was how to do it.”
Seattle Parks promptly appealed the commission decision to the Seattle Hearing Examiner. The hearing examiner took pro and con testimony and flatly rejected Parks’ request.
In the meantime, the refurbished Park remains fenced off from public use, which is a frustration for Market forces who’d like it accessible to visitors and an irritation to those interested in maximizing use of the new Overlook Walk. The media have branded the conflict “a standoff.” But Friends of the Market chair Heather Pihl responds, “It’s not a standoff. Parks just needs to follow the law and submit its application to restore the totem poles under the care of a restorer. Once Parks gets its application approved, which could be as early as March 12, the park can reopen.”
It does seem high time for Seattle Parks to accept the decisions of the people’s representative (the Historical Commission) and the Seattle hearing examiner and work on returning the polls, promised fanfare and all, to the park.
