Friends of the Market has been an education and advocacy organization for over 60 years. Since 1964, it has singly, or with allies, advocated for or opposed public policies affecting Pike Place Market and fought for historic preservation and renewal in downtown Seattle and the Market.

Pike Place

Pike Place has functioned as the Market’s only loading dock since 1907, and maintaining the street’s flow is critical to the successful operation of the Market and access for the Market community’s needs. Friends of the Market continues to monitor and provide resistance to public policies and campaigns that would interfere with the operation of Pike Place, through education and providing comments at public meetings. Friends of the Market has worked with allies to educate Seattle City Council and the Mayor about the detrimental impacts to operation of the Market that would occur from closing Pike Place to vehicular traffic.

Fresh Produce at Pike Place Market

While farmers markets in Seattle neighborhoods have thrived, Pike Place Market has faced declining numbers of farmers selling fresh produce, and its permanent stalls (“highstalls”) selling fresh produce year-round have been closing and dwindling in number. Friends of the Market is actively supporting the return of more produce at the Market through education and engaging in problem-solving around the issue.

Victor Steinbrueck Park

This popular park located within the Market Historical District, designed by Victor Steinbrueck, Friends of the Market founder, and Rich Haag, well-known landscape architect, continues as an active advocacy priority. The Park has been under renovation since early 2023 and is expected to reopen soon.

During the process of planning for the renovation, Friends of the Market successfully advocated for respect for the original park design. Many of the original significant features are retained, but with the addition of more seating, an expanded children’s play area and Native language and art incorporated into the design.

During the public process in 2019, some stakeholders called for the elimination of the park’s two totem poles because totem poles were not traditionally included in Coast Salish art. Friends of the Market advocated for the retention of the totem poles because they are a part of the Park’s original design, were designed by renowned Seattle Native artist and professor Marvin Oliver, and because they were a part of a tradition of shared art and culture among Pacific Northwest tribes and immigrants. The Market Historical Commission protected the totem poles in its decision on the renovation, requiring that they be reinstalled at the park.

In December 2023, Seattle Parks and Recreation applied to the Market Historical Commission to remove the totem poles permanently. The Commission denied the proposal. Parks has appealed the Commission’s decision. Friends of the Market successfully intervened in the appeal to join the Department of Neighborhoods in supporting the Commission’s decision and submitted a motion to dismiss the appeal. On March 28, 2024, the City of Seattle Hearing Examiner dismissed the appeal. In November 2024, after being stored horizontally outdoors for 19 months, four inches above soil, the totem poles were cleaned and are now being assessed for the best way to repair rot and restore them. Friends of the Market continues its advocacy to ensure that the poles are appropriately restored and reinstalled at the park.

At this time, Victor Steinbrueck Park remains closed until the Market Historical Commission has approved its reopening without the totem poles reinstalled. At its November 13, 2024 meeting, the Commission made it clear to Parks that an application for restoring the totem poles must be in front of the Commission before it will consider reopening the park without the totem poles.

For more information about the park and advocacy for the totem poles, click here.

The Showbox

The Showbox, across First Avenue from the Market, is a long-time music venue with a storied Art Deco ballroom and decades of music and theater productions. In 2018, its owner proposed to raze the Showbox and build a 44-story luxury residential tower. Friends of the Market with many allies won landmark designation from the City Landmarks Preservation Board in July 2019 both for the building’s exterior and parts of the interior. Since then, the Board has postponed the next step in the landmark process:  the Board’s consideration of “controls and incentives” for the building. Controls will describe required protections to the physical elements of the building, and the owner has argued for no controls. BUT the Board has no current schedule for considering controls and incentives.

Hahn Building

The three-story Hahn Building sits directly across from the main entrance to the Market at First Avenue and Pike Street. In early 2019, the owner proposed to raze it and build a 14-story glass and steel high-rise luxury boutique hotel. Friends of the Market worked with other advocates to oppose this plan because it is out of scale and would look over the Market entrance. The Landmarks Preservation Board (LPB) designated the Hahn Building exterior as a landmark in January 2021 despite two previous negative LPB decisions. Friends’ advocacy will continue as the LPB considers “controls and incentives” to impose on the landmark.

Historic District Expansion

The proposal to build 14 to 44-story towers across First Avenue from the Market, at the sites of the Showbox and the Hahn Building, inspired Friends of the Market to consider a proposal to expand the Market Historic District to the half blocks along First Avenue between Union and Stewart Streets. The Market should not have to crouch behind a towering wall of gray glass boxes. As of early 2021, Friends is reviewing two large sets of documents from our public disclosure request on this subject. This review will inform the effort to expand the district.