Related News
Gone the decades old 鈥榞um wall鈥 in Seattle
Print Edition
A piece of Seattle history is coming down, or rather, 1 million little pieces of it are.
Crews are cleaning the city’s famed “gum wall” near Pike Place Market, where tourists and locals have been sticking their used chewing gum for the past 20 years.
The wall is plastered with wads of gum in a kaleidoscope of colors, some stretched and pinched into messages, hearts and other designs. People also have used the gooey gobs to paste up pictures, business cards and other mementos.
On Tuesday, powerful steam cleaners were melting it all off.
Emily Crawford, a Pike Place Market spokeswoman, said that following a busy summer season, market leaders decided now was as good a time as any to wipe the wall clean. But they expect people will start leaving gum on the space again soon.
“It’s an icon. It’s history,” said onlooker Zoe Freeman, who works near Pike Place. “The market is famous for the gum wall. But it also draws rats.”
Pike Place Market hired a contractor, Cascadian Building Maintenance, to take on the cleaning. They chose steam over pressure washing to conserve the historic market’s brick walls. The blasts of moist air against a mass of dried gum sent a fruity, sweet smell though the alley.
“I just hope that the citizens of Seattle don’t hate me for removing the gum wall,” said Kelly Foster, the contractor’s general manager.
People first began smooshing their gum to the wall while waiting for shows at the nearby Market Theater. Since then, the “gum wall” has expanded beyond one wall and onto other walls of an alley, pipes and even the theater’s box office window.
Crawford said the cleaning crew will collect and weigh the gum each day it is removed. The cleaning is expected to take three days.
By Crawford’s rough calculation, there are about 1,000 kilograms of gum on the walls.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
