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Bill Speidel’s Underground
Tour
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| Address |
608 First Avenue, in Seattle’s
Pioneer Square |
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| Admission |
$11 for adults, $9 for seniors and students
and $5 for children |
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| Hours |
Tours are usually four to six times a day
and leave on the hour, but vary depending on the season. |
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| Phone |
1-206-682-4646 |
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| Website |
www.undergroundtour.com |
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After the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 burned most of the city’s
central business district to the ground, local developers decided
to rebuild the city one to two stories higher than the original
street grade. But the new structures left some old storefronts as
much as 36 feet below street level. Some pedestrians continued to
go between both levels, by using ladders, while others used the
underground sidewalks by following glass cubes that were lit up.
But as fears mounted over the bubonic plague in 1907, the city condemned
the Underground and basements and storefronts were left vacant.
This walking tour begins inside Doc Maynard’s Public House,
a restored 1890s saloon then winds through the historic Pioneer
Square and covers three blocks of the Underground. It’s not
for those with bad knees or joints—you’ll have to climb
six flights of stairs and cross over uneven terrain and spotty lighting.
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