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Thursday, March 12, 2009

Architecture Tour the Viaduct

Posted by Brendan Kiley on Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 1:15 PM

Next weekend, WSDOT will close the Viaduct for inspection or repairs or something. Whatever.

The important part is that on Saturday March 21, from 9:30 am to noon, you can take 45-minute walking tours of the corset that rings Seattle's midriff.

(The debate over what to do with Seattle's only elevated transportation system—bury it? restore it? reroute it?—is really a debate over the proper presentation of our city's midriff. Should it be restrained, or should we let it all hang out, our glass and steel and concrete rushing to the water's edge like a tsunami of commercial flab? The tension over the viaduct is the tension of Seattle's self-image: liberal but repressive, progressive but Victorian, lowest-prioritizing marijuana but putting the screws to clubs and nightlife.

But there is a small, beautiful compromise in the viaduct—during its construction, in 1953, three inches of the guardrail on the southbound side were cut away to accommodate a brick building standing at Bell and Western. Those few inches of brick, gently pushing into the viaduct, are precious—a cease-fire zone between the libertines and the scolds, a place where Seattle stops arguing with itself.)

Email viaduct@wsdot.wa.gov to make a reservation for the tour.

e102/1236889092-2548489589_d919b64eaa.jpg

UPDATE! The tours are on March 21, not this Saturday. Apologies for my moronism.

Photo from Seattle Municipal Archives.

Comments (24) RSS

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I am insanely excited about this.

Posted by Fnarf on March 12, 2009 at 1:34 PM

Their site says the walking tour is on March 21st, not the 14th. Is there a tour on the 14th as well?

Posted by stinkbug on March 12, 2009 at 1:42 PM

Brendan, I think your first link is f-ed up:
http://post.thestranger.com/seattle/Blog…

I am also thrilled at the idea of a walking tour of the old beast.

Posted by Amy Kate Horn on March 12, 2009 at 1:49 PM

The closure and the walking tour start March 21, weekend after this one.

Posted by Amy Kate Horn on March 12, 2009 at 1:52 PM

I went on the tour in October and it was really fascinating. I learned a lot about the area (in understandably broad strokes) and got some nice shots to boot:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/csb13/sets/…

Posted by Chris B on March 12, 2009 at 1:59 PM

the viaduct is close this weekend for the st. pats dash..
come on slog!

Posted by benten. on March 12, 2009 at 2:06 PM

What a mess. Soooo...What the FUCK is going on with the viaduct the next two weekends?

Posted by jebus criminy on March 12, 2009 at 2:11 PM

Luckily, unless you live in West Seattle, it being closed won't affect your bus commute.

Posted by Will in Seattle on March 12, 2009 at 2:27 PM

That third paragraph was rather Charles-esque, not that I mind--except for the muffin-top imagery.

Posted by rob on March 12, 2009 at 2:38 PM

For Will in Seattle only: the viaduct tour is THIS AFTERNOON AT 4:45 PM. Ignore all the speeding cars; just walk on up and straddle a lane marker. Wear grey.

Posted by Fnarf on March 12, 2009 at 2:41 PM

I can't find any information about the Viaduct being closed this weekend. As far as I can tell, the Viaduct will be closed NEXT weekend.

Posted by dc.al.coda on March 12, 2009 at 3:11 PM

I stand corrected, partly. The St. Patrick's Day Dash will close the Viaduct for a couple of hours on Sunday. Which means I can still take my houseguest to the airport on Saturday. Whew!

Posted by dc.al.coda on March 12, 2009 at 3:17 PM

An email from them indicates:

1) The walking tour is indeed on the 21st. The Stranger's date of the 14th is wrong.
2) There is currently a waiting list.

Posted by stinkbug on March 12, 2009 at 3:20 PM

Yay! That's my dad! He's the lead inspector on the viaduct crew, and he's most assuredly going to be doing his stuff *next* weekend. Yay, dad!

Posted by sepiolida on March 12, 2009 at 3:40 PM

Well, if the commentors and not Slog is correct, then yay! 'Cause Samstag (Saturday), I have a final. Kinda important.

Fnarf, stop it please. Annoying. Slog staff, remove 10 please. Thank you.

Posted by whatever, mind on March 12, 2009 at 3:47 PM

@10 - I already walked it on the first private tour after the earthquake, Fnarf. Had a nice chat with Tim Ceis at the time while we went for coffee.

Posted by Will in Seattle on March 12, 2009 at 3:49 PM

When you look at that picture you can understand how that thing got built. No one cared because Seattle was just a bunch of small old buildings with no defined image or sense of how amazing the city would become. The Viaduct was a modern structure to the people of Seattle at that time and probably thought of as great progress. But like many highways bridges and viaducts in many cities (Boston is a good example) it eventually became a nuisance and an eyesore but also heavily depended upon by a society stuck in a car culture.
Seattle is more than what the Viaduct represented when first built. In the future Seattle will have a better balance between cars and transit and people will look back at pictures like this one and find it hard to comprehend how anyone could have built something like the Viaduct on the waterfront because reclaiming the waterfront will eventually be one of the key components that will make Seattle look more complete and add to the feeling of how amazing the city is.

Posted by -B- on March 12, 2009 at 4:14 PM

Yes, yes, sorry, I fucked up the date. That's what I get for throwing up a post and leaving my computer for three hours.

Posted by Brendan Kiley on March 12, 2009 at 4:43 PM

Really, Will? You talked to Tim Ceis a decade ago? WOW. Can I have your autograph?

Iggy Pop's been in my house. Judges, can we have a decision? Who's namedropping vaults highest?

Posted by Fnarf on March 12, 2009 at 4:46 PM

Unfortunately, the image of "glass and steel and concrete rushing to the water's edge like a tsunami" makes the Viaduct seem less like a corset (since when is the Western edge of the city considered its "midriff" anyway?) and more like a maxi pad.

Posted by Dexter on March 12, 2009 at 5:19 PM

20 posts and nobody mentiones wheeling a keg out there. Just the normal pissfest from the same old whiners. Enjoy your oil-soaked cement slab.

Posted by wilbur@work on March 12, 2009 at 10:26 PM

What a wonderful old photo -- thanks for posting it. And while downtown and the waterfront will undoubtedly be better off without the viaduct, I'll miss it just the same.

Posted by Drew on March 13, 2009 at 12:26 AM

I love viaduct and english muffins in the morning! Thank you city!
Does anyone know where it starts or how it all goes if you wan to go?

Posted by carrollanno on March 20, 2009 at 5:49 PM

When you look at that picture you can understand how that thing got built. No one cared because Seattle was just a bunch of small old buildings with no defined image or sense of how amazing the city would become. The Viaduct was a modern structure to the people of Seattle at that time and probably thought of as great progress. But like many highways bridges and viaducts in many cities (Boston is a good example) it eventually became a nuisance and an eyesore but also heavily depended upon how to gain muscle mass by a society stuck in a car culture. Seattle is more than what the Viaduct represented when first built. In the future Seattle will have a better balance between cars and transit and people will look back at pictures like this one and find it hard to comprehend how anyone could have built something how to gain muscle mass like the Viaduct on the waterfront because reclaiming the waterfront will eventually be one of the key components that will make Seattle look more complete and add to the feeling of how amazing the city is.

Posted by jeff246 on November 28, 2009 at 1:53 PM