Monuments of all sizes and types have come to dominate the landscape and skyline of Seattle, Washington. The Space Needle has become an icon for the entire region, while the Fremont Troll showcases what it can mean to imagine how an empty space can create an identity for an entire neighborhood. Monuments have transformed entire sections of the city, illustrating the literal and figurative power that monuments have for audiences from all over.
Erected long before the Space Needle was constructed, the Statue of Chief Seattle was built in 1912. Depicting the Suquamish and Duwamish chief after whom the city was named, the statue was the city’s second piece of public art. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 and named a city landmark in 1985, the piece was originally designed to be a fountain, although another fountain of Chief Seattle appears elsewhere in the city.
Created by Martin Oliver, A Salish Welcome is a bronze sculpture of a tribal figure that was erected to mark the preservation of Salmon Bay and the surrounding areas as natural habitats. Facing the Salmon Bay Ship Canal where salmon migrate through the fish ladder of the nearby Chittenden Locks, the piece honors the local indigenous people and celebrates the abundant and vital life on the restored salmon habitat. The disk that the figure holds represents the vital life cycle of Pacific salmon, creating a timeless “vision” for future generations.
While the four figures in the Fallen Firefighter Memorial were inspired by the four firefighters that died in the line of duty in 1995, the piece is actually a larger tribute to everyone that fell in the line of duty since the department began in 1889. Created by Hai Ying Wu, adjacent to Seattle Fire Department Headquarters in downtown’s Pioneer Square district, the figures are surrounded by slabs of granite that are intended to depict a collapsed building, allowing audiences to interact with the piece on multiple levels.
These are just some of the obscure and outstanding monuments located throughout Seattle. The mix of traditional and contemporary approaches to monuments and landmarks across the city provides an incredible sense of how these pieces can help shape an identity for a region while creating memorable experiences for audiences.
