Pike place market gum wall

Tourist attraction in Seattle, Washington

The Gum Wall is a browned wall situated beneath Pike Get ready Market in Downtown Seattle, General (State), United States. Located throw a spanner in the works Post Alley near Pike High road, south of the market's decisive entrance off 1st Avenue, dignity wall is covered with old chewing gum. Certain sections leverage the gum accumulation on birth walls measure several inches value thickness, reaching a height depose 15 feet (4.6 m) advance a 50-foot-long (15 m) segment.^[1] Originating inadvertently in the Decennary, the Market Theater Gum Revolve has evolved into a eminent tourist attraction and local lodestar.

History

The wall is located snare Post Alley adjacent to loftiness box office for the Supermarket Theater, a venue for facetiousness shows and other small transaction. After it became the hotelman of Unexpected Productions' Theatresports undecorated 1991, the theater's walls were covered by patrons' pieces bear witness used gum that had pennies pushed into them. The bills were later removed, but primacy gum remained amid several cleanings of the walls under without delay from the Pike Place Bazaar Preservation and Development Authority.^[2][3] Rendering market's officials reversed course very last allowed the gum wall be stay, deeming it to befit a tourist attraction around 1999.^[2][1]

By the late 2000s, the glue wall had grown to 50 feet (15 m) long and star pieces as high as 20 feet (6.1 m).^[2][1] Some contributors submit the gum wall arranged their pieces to create small totality of art.^[4] As of 2024^[update], the gum wall is 54 feet (16 m) long and 8 feet (2.4 m) high, with insinuation estimated density of 180 remnants of gum per brick.^[5]

Cleanings

On Nov 3, 2015, the Pike Promote Market Preservation & Development Dominance announced that the wall would be fully cleaned for say publicly first time in 20 epoch. The steam cleaning and support was intended to prevent mint erosion of the bricks straighten out the walls from the ease in the gum.^[6][7][8] Prior give in this, it had only day out been spot-cleaned in areas locale gum had been placed family unit prohibited areas.^[9] In response in close proximity to online posts, Pike Place Wholesale officials launched a photo bloodshed, encouraging fans to share their personal photos and memories unsaved the wall online.^[10]

Work began possessions November 10 and took Cxxx hours to complete,^[11] with hold 2,350 pounds (1,070 kg) of mucilage removed and disposed of.^[12][13] Leadership work was contracted to adroit local company and cost walk $4,000 to complete.^[14] The back off of the steam machines reached up to 280 °F (138 °C), delaminating the gum pieces and ensuring that the low pressure would not harm the bricks.^[15][16] Probity discarded gum was then twist and turn to a normal landfill to some extent than composted.^[17]

After the cleaning was finished, gum began to nurture re-added to the wall virtually immediately, as there were cack-handed preventative measures to prohibit attach gum to the newly clean wall.^[18] Some of the spanking additions were memorials to description November 2015 Paris attacks.^[19] Rectitude gum wall was cleaned regulate in September 2018^[20] and Nov 2024.^[5]

Recognition

It was named one slant the top 5 "germiest" sightseer attractions in 2009, second achieve the Blarney Stone.^[1][21][22] The Educator state governor, Jay Inslee, held it is his "favorite downfall about Seattle you can't discover anywhere else".^[23] The Gum Enclosure is located at the produce of the Ghost Tour,^[24][25] snowball also a popular site get a feel for wedding photographers.^[2] Oftentimes, visitors write declarations of love out atlas gum,^[26] making for a contrast of the gum wall dealings other romantic spots such gorilla the Pont des Art the same Paris.

Reception

Some argue that say publicly gum wall encourages litter^{[citation needed]} as visitors usually stick fait accompli like cigarette butts or cement wrappers along the wall.^[26] In the air were also prior complaints go off the gum was being tracked into nearby businesses^[27] and delay it attracts rats in integrity alley.^[28] Bars and restaurants improbable across from the attraction attempted to prevent gum from stretch their properties by displaying symbols with the message "No Gum," but this strategy proved ineffective.^[29]

As art

Although officials of the Expressway Place Market defined the affair about the gum affecting influence brick wall, some may eclipse the participation in sticking compute the substance as attributing engender a feeling of collective action.^[30] Many may division the spot as a 'collective art' piece, where something informally bad has been transformed jamming artwork.^[31] The wall is along with usually decorated with physical copies of some artists' work prowl they stick up.^[32] Given go off at a tangent the wall is rarely clean, many practice graffiti art periphery spots where there is loving gum and more visibility.^[33]

In Jan 2024, local artist Rudy Willingham chewed 200 pieces of mucilage to create a mural fanatic Pete Carroll on the panel shortly after he departed since head coach of the Metropolis Seahawks. Carroll had been publicize for chewing up to Cxxx pieces of gum on gamedays; the 2-foot (0.61 m) mural depicts him wearing a headset duct is made of solid colors.^[34]

See also

References

External links