Current Redevelopment Projects
Throughout March and this month, our Sunday Did You Knows have looked back on master planning at Seattle Center. Today, we look at some redevelopment projects currently in the works. Many of them carry out the work of the 20-year Seattle Center Century 21 Master Plan as they prepare for the opening of Climate Pledge Arena and the return of campus events. The projects also serve to spruce up the grounds in time for the 60th Anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, which left Seattle Center as a legacy to the people of Seattle.
Here are some projects underway or on the near horizon:
We broke ground last fall on Seattle Center Skate Plaza. This multi-pronged, partnered effort fulfills a commitment to the Seattle skateboarding community to continue to provide an outstanding and versatile skateboarding experience here. The project extends the campus to include a triangular 18,000 square-foot swath of abandoned Broad Street just to the east of the grounds. It should open sometime this summer.
We’ve made great progress on refreshing Seattle Center Armory. The exterior of this historic building has received a fresh coat of paint that harkens back to its original colors and design. Outdated awnings have been removed, new wayfinding and other signage will be installed and more is planned for the Food & Event Hall, TBD.
A new campus signage plan will update and improve wayfinding and event-related signs throughout the grounds, introducing tasteful digital technology to enhance our capacity to promote all the events that happen on the campus. Accompanying pathway lighting improvements will create a more navigable and safer evening passage through the grounds.
Seattle Center Monorail goes out of service tomorrow through the end April to start on $6.6 million worth of privately funded improvements that will better connect the Monorail to Sound Transit and King County Metro services at Westlake Center and more efficiently on and off load passengers to attending large event on grounds. The changes are a part of Climate Pledge Arena and The Seattle Kraken’s investment in the Monorail.
International Fountain will also be out of service now through the end of June to update our beloved and iconic water feature. Work will be done to reinvigorate the tall water super shooters, the Fountain’s computer technology will be updated and new LED lighting will be installed.
We haven’t even mentioned some other upgrades like Dupen Fountain and all incredible work at Climate Pledge Arena, including installation of outdoor art, a welcomed addition to the remarkable visual art collection already present throughout the grounds. So even campus events have taken a long pause because of COVID, there’s a lot going on at Seattle Center to enhance the visitor experience and create added visual appeal.
#didyouknow #seattlecenter #centerspotlight
About Seattle Center:
Connect to the extraordinary at Seattle Center, an active civic, arts and family gathering place in the core of our region. More than 30 cultural, educational, sports and entertainment organizations that reside on the grounds, together with a broad range of public and community programs, create thousands of events on the 74-acre campus and attract over 12 million visitors each year. At Seattle Center, part of Uptown Arts & Cultural District, our purpose is to create exceptional events, experiences and environments that delight and inspire the human spirit to build stronger communities. Activities at the Center generate $1.864 billion in business activity and $631 million in labor income.
