18 Jan Pioneer Square in the News

NEWS

Shooting Assault Downtown, suspect(s) at large (SPD Police Blotter)
Officers were “monitoring a crowd near 2nd and James” this morning (2am) when they heard gunshots at 150 Yesler. A male sustained a gunshot to his shoulder, but apparently he and his friends have been “uncooperative” with police. Usually this means drugs or gangs, but watch twitter.com/thenewp2 for any updates.

Elliott Bay Books to retain old charm in new location (Seattle University Spectator)
Peter Aaron discusses the upcoming move to Capitol Hill and the interior plans to make it look like the Pioneer Square building. Although, let’s be honest – no matter how hard you try – you can’t duplicate Pioneer Square’s atmosphere in Capitol Hill. They are two very different neighborhoods – part of the reason Aaron is excited to move there. I find it interesting, too, that people feel that this has doomed our little neighborhood; the reality is that retail sales are only a tiny percentage (12%) of the revenue generated in our ‘hood. Go techie/gamer start up companies!

Blogging about your bungled bungalow (Crosscut)
Knute Berger points out a fantastic new blog called MAin2 – a name derived form the old MAIN telephone exchange prefix for downtown Seattle. One of their first posts is about the restoration of the Furuya Building.

Vintage dishes, tins and more make attractive corrals for clutter (NW Source)
Points out antique malls throughout Seattle, including the Pioneer Square Antique Mall, which is closing at the end of this month.

Jackson Street After Hours: The Roots of Jazz in Seattle (Tacoma Weekly)
A review of an exhibition at WA State History Museum about the roots of Jazz in Seattle. The article talks about Pioneer Square’s role as a former hub for jazz musicians.

Mike McGinn Moving Forward With Seattle’s Part of the Tunnel Deal (Seattle Weekly)
A discussion of McGinn’s announcement to replace the seawall, which was “completed in 1936 and runs along the downtown waterfront, keeping Pioneer Square night clubs from flooding and the soil beneath the viaduct stable.”

BLOGS

Evolution of a building in Pioneer Square: The Furuya Building (MAin2)
A great look (with pictures) at the Furuya Building, located on the northeast corner of Second Avenue South and South Main Street in Pioneer Square.

Pioneer Square Mural (Flickr)

Wedding shoot in P2 (Photographer’s Blog)
A few wedding shots from a session in Pioneer Square – the great brick buildings and historic feel of the neighborhood bring photographers down here all the time for engagement and wedding shoots.

Seattle’s Link Light Rail with Kids (Delicious Baby Blog)
If you’re going on an outing with your family, this blog gives you great ideas for every downtown stop of the light rail. Pioneer Square ideas include Magic Mouse Toys, the underground tour, and the firefighters’ memorial.

City proposes street cart reform (Capitol Hill Blog)
Post goes in detail about reforms being proposed by Seattle’s Department of Planning and Development regarding the use of street carts/vendors throughout our downtown neighborhoods. “While it won’t make the streets a free-for-all to any entrepreneur with ambitions, it will be a huge step forward in bringing us more in line with our annoyingly cool sister to the South.”