National Register of Historic Places

Seattle, Chief of the Suquamish, Statue

Seattle, King County, Washington
Listed
April 18, 1984
Type
Object
Period
Listed
Ref No.
84003502

About this property

An outdoor life-size sculpture of Chief Seattle by local artist James Wehn is installed in Tilikum Place in Seattle, Washington, in the United States. The copper statue, which weighs between 300 and 400 lbs. (136–181 kg), shows Seattle with his right hand extended as if in greeting. The statue stands atop a stone base that was designed to serve as a fountain, although the fountain has been turned off and on over the years. Commissioned in 1907, Wehn's design suffered from multiple poor castings and was finally sent to New York for casting. The statue was formally unveiled in Tilikum Place by Myrtle Loughery, a great-great-granddaughter of Chief Seattle, on November 13, 1912. The statue was the first commissioned in Seattle and only the city's second piece of public art in all. After unsuccessful proposals to move the statue to locations such as Duwamish Head, Denny Park, and Pioneer Square, the statue was removed for cleaning in anticipation of the Century 21 Exposition of 1962. Wehn objected to a proposal to turn the statue around so it would face the then-new Seattle Center Monorail. After its cleaning, the statue was returned to its original location and orientation, facing Elliott Bay. The statue was rededicated on December 8, 1975. By 1980, the statue had turned green. A local taxi driver attempted to clean it himself, scratching it and exposing its original bronze color. A subsequent restoration revealed that the statue originally had been gilded (covered in gold leaf). It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 19, 1984, and named a city landmark on May 6, 1985. National Register of Historic Places listings in Seattle

Location

5th Ave., Denny Way, and Cedar St.
Seattle, King County, Washington
47.61843, -122.34744

Categories

ART
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Volker, William, Building
Industrial
0.2 mi
Windham Apartments
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0.2 mi
Hull Building
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0.3 mi
Bell Apartments
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0.3 mi
Barnes Building
Industrial
0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Puget Sound War — Battle of Seattle (January 26, 1856)
1856Indian Wars
1.1 mi
Yakama War — Battle of Seattle
1856Indian Wars
1.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Seattle, Chief of the Suquamish, Statue listed on the National Register?

Seattle, Chief of the Suquamish, Statue was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 18, 1984.

What type of historic resource is Seattle, Chief of the Suquamish, Statue?

Seattle, Chief of the Suquamish, Statue is classified as a object in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Seattle, Chief of the Suquamish, Statue?

The period of significance for Seattle, Chief of the Suquamish, Statue is recorded as the listed era.

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