A Different Way

Are the city’s alleyways an unused stage for cultural creativity, or just the spaces between buildings?

More than 263 miles of alleyways slice through Seattle’s city blocks. They were built to assist in the back end of city living; downtown partygoers can sometimes be found doubled over in passageways, while further south, sports fans find the dark breezeways more accommodating than a packed stadium urinal. In the more tourist-driven parts of town near Pike Place Market, the famed Post Alley has been turned into a profit-bearing stomping ground for various walking tours and a sprinkling of businesses. Many alleys, like the ones found in Pioneer Square, have been cursed with a reputation for crime. 

Photograph by André Mora for City Arts.

Regardless of the reputation of Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square district, Dylan Mancusso, a recent transplant from Alaska, looked confident and even entertained as he stood behind the building that once contained the Elliott Bay Book Company during the October edition of Pioneer Square’s First Thursday art walk. The nearby Nord Building’s Global Art Venue had its back doors propped open, as artists and locals walked in and out. “I was warned to stay away from alleys,” Mancusso said with a smile, turning toward a band playing Neil Young’s Harvest Moon just feet away. “And I’ve been in alleys and it wasn’t like this.” 

In an effort to raise awareness about the alternate uses of alleyways, both the Nord Alley and the Fire House Alley, located a few blocks north behind the bustling Alaskan Way viaduct, threw “alley parties” on First Thursday last month. In addition to the entertainment, both parties featured demonstrations that explained how other cities were breathing life into their alleyways, and the importance of transforming alleys from a space in between to a space to be seen. 

“We want it to feel like public space rather than an abandoned place where you get in trouble,” explained Todd Vogel, executive director of the International Sustainability Institute. 

The ISI has already taken the first few steps in creating what Vogel hopes will be “a network of alleyways.” After conducting a survey with the help of Copenhagen-based Gehl Architects, University of Washington students, and the City of Seattle that tracked the amount of foot traffic throughout the city, ISI proposed that alleyways could improve the city experience for pedestrians. Pending final permit approval of the ISI’s alleyway activation projects, money awarded from the city’s Neighborhood Matching Fund grant will go towards installing steel panels along the Nord Alley that will hold plants and sculptures on a rotating basis early next year. Eager to follow suit, the Fire House Alley, supported by its activist group, Pioneer Square Alleys, is promoting its own project outlines, which include a historic photo exhibit and eco-friendly lighting. 

At the alley party on First Thursday, Mancusso’s girlfriend, Mellisa Davis, shook her head when reminiscing about alleyways loaded with trash that she’d seen in New York or her hometown of Chicago. “It shouldn’t be just a space for garbage pickup.” She pointed toward the music and the people sipping wine. “The rest of the country should learn from this,” she said, adding that it was imperative that cities consider greening up their backdoor routes in an attempt to create more welcoming places for people to hang out.

Others, however, seemed a little less supportive of the alternate uses, which could mean more foot traffic than they desired. A resident living above the Fire House Alley angrily pointed his finger toward an open window on the second floor. “Don’t you know people live here?” he said, looking around at the crowd, the DJ and the event organizer. “I mean, do all of you even have a permit to be here?” •