Wooden Pier District (Pier 54-59)
Type: Districts
Owner: No owner designated for this attraction.
Designation*: City
Built: N/A
Location: 1400 Alaskan Way, Seattle
Map and directions (Courtesy Google Maps)
Hours: Daily
Admission: FREE

*DOE=Designated eligible; NR=National Register of Historic Places; NHL=National Historic Landmark; WHR=Washington Heritage Register; City=Local city; County=Local county; N/A=Not applicable

Comments from site users
9/17/2007 5 out of 5
This is very touristy, but you're close to the water and downtown.

Seattle’s European settlers set the course for the new community in the early 1850s when a pioneer used a horseshoe on the end of a rope to find a new deepwater harbor on the east side of Elliott Bay. Seattle’s central waterfront district grew quickly, becoming the focal point for maritime commerce from the construction of Yesler’s Wharf in 1852 to the 1960s, when changes in cargo-handling technology moved most maritime work to modern shipping terminals to the north and south.

The picturesque wooden piers, infused with acrid creosote to discouraged pile-destroying worms, slowly evolved into a tourist destination. Some of the old piers were lost as redevelopment erased unprofitable businesses and added new amenities, such as a major marina and conference center at Pier 66. Today, piers 54 to 59 remain as an historic district, featuring shops, restaurants, and harbor tours. Pier 59 is listed as a city landmark. And Pier 54 is home to one of Seattle’s historic icons, Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, founded in 1899.