One of the new heritage signs on display throughout the Market.

Since 2012 the Friends of the Market have been focused on an important education project in alignment with one of our basic missions – education – going back to our founding in 1964. As a result of our work to inventory and document public art in the Market, we realized that many of the old heritage displays, that had been added in a piecemeal fashion,  were in very poor condition as well as being difficult to read, including inaccurate information and missing important stories about the Market and the people who have been a crucial part of its 117 years of development.

In 2017, we began to work closely in partnership with the Pike Place Market Foundation and the Pike Place PDA to thoughtfully develop a community designed set of exhibits that explore the rich history of the Market. After seven years of design, MHC review and approval and construction — the displays were formally unveiled in late September 2025 and meet the goal of honoring and celebrating the people who came before us and the people who continue to make the Market a treasured community today and well into the future.

Current members of Friends of the Market admire new heritage sign on First Avenue.

There are five larger mural panels located at various entry points to the historic district and five smaller porcelain panels located at existing kiosks scattered along First Avenue, Pike Street and Pike Place. Of particulate note is the "Keeping the Market, Saving a Community" kiosk located at First Avenue in front of the Economy Market; it focuses on the Friends of the Market and our work to save the Market from urban renewal destruction and the passage of the 1971 public initiative that established the historic district and Pike Place Market Historical Commission and facilitated its preservation. Other panels and kiosks focus on important aspects of Market history and its community. Each display includes a QR code so that one can dig deeper into the theme or subject of the display. To learn more about the project, view a map of the display locations and learn more about the Market history and community — please visit this PDA site.