Serviced Apartments in Pioneer Square

Facts About Pioneer Square

Pioneer Square draws its name from what was originally called Pioneer Place, the triangular plaza near the corner of Yesler Way and First Avenue. The Pioneer Square-Skid Road Historic District has earned a listing within the National Register of Historic Places.

Here are some interesting facts about Pioneer Square:

• The founders of Seattle settled here first in 1852 and the early structures were wooden. They were burned in the Great Seattle Fire in 1889. By 1890, however, numerous stone and brick buildings were built, many of which remain as examples of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. 
• Henry Yesler chose this site for a lumber mill along Elliott Bay in 1852. 
• Yesler Way was known as Mill Street and is the key street through the locality. 
• Father Xavier Prefontaine established the first Catholic Church in Seattle here in 1870, named the Church of Our Lady of Good Help. Lou Graham opened the iconic parlor house a couple of decades afterwards right across the street. 
• The well-known Sinking Ship garage was built in the 1960s and stands till date. Many buildings were saved by Sam Israel who sold the Union Trust Building to Ralph Anderson, the architect. 
• Pioneer Square houses several internet companies, art galleries, sports bars, cafes, bookstores and nightclubs today along with a unit of the famous Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. 

Weather in Pioneer Square

Summers are warm, short and dry in Pioneer Square while winters are cold, cloudy and wet. The best time to visit is between early July and late August.