Gum Wall
{{short description|Tourist attraction in Seattle, Washington}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}{{Use American English|date=January 2023}}
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| image_place = Gum wall, Seattle, Washington, Estados Unidos, 2017-09-02, DD 19-21 HDR.jpg
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| location = Post Alley, Seattle, Washington, U.S.
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The Gum Wall is a brick wall situated beneath Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington, United States. Located on Post Alley near Pike Street, south of the market's main entrance off 1st Avenue, the wall is covered with used chewing gum. This accumulation on the walls measures several inches in thickness, reaching a height of {{convert|15|ft|m}} along a {{convert|50|ft|m|adj=mid}} section. It originated inadvertently around the Market Theater in the 1990s and later evolved into a tourist attraction and local landmark. Since 2015, the gum wall has been regularly cleaned to prevent erosion of the brick walls.
History
The wall is located in Post Alley adjacent to the box office for the Market Theater, a venue for comedy shows and other small performances. After it became the host of Unexpected Productions' Theatresports in 1991, the theater's walls were covered by patrons' pieces of used gum that had pennies pushed into them. The coins were later removed, but the gum remained amid several cleanings of the walls under orders from the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority.{{cite news |last=Eskenazi |first=Stuart |date=June 6, 2008 |title=Market lost & found |newspaper=The Seattle Times |url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/market-lost-found/ |url-status=live |url-access= |access-date=August 14, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325111816/http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/market-lost-found/ |archive-date=March 25, 2016}}{{Cite web |last= |title=The Gum Wall |url=https://unexpectedproductions.org/gumwall/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122231300/https://unexpectedproductions.org/gumwall/ |archive-date=January 22, 2022 |access-date=January 22, 2022 |website=Unexpected Productions}} The market's officials reversed course and allowed the gum wall to stay, deeming it to be a tourist attraction around 1999.{{cite news |last=Chen |first=Stephanie |date=July 20, 2009 |title=Kissing, chewing -- the 'germiest ' tourist attractions |work=CNN |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/07/20/germy.tourist.spots/ |access-date=August 14, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240925120904/http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/07/20/germy.tourist.spots/ |archive-date=September 25, 2024}}
By the late 2000s, the gum wall had grown to {{convert|50|ft|m}} long and included pieces as high as {{convert|20|ft|m}}. Some contributors to the gum wall arranged their pieces to create small works of art.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=20060629&id=OLIyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=K_MDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3455,7352509|title=Gumming it: Messages designed to stick on Seattle's Gum Wall|last=Carter|first=Chelsea J.|date=June 30, 2006|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=The Spokesman-Review|access-date=June 8, 2012}} {{As of|2024}}, the gum wall is {{convert|54|ft|m}} long and {{convert|8|ft|m}} high, with an estimated density of 180 pieces of gum per brick.{{cite news |last=Phair |first=Vonnai |date=November 8, 2024 |title=Seattle's gum wall at Pike Place Market gets a cleaning |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattles-gum-wall-at-pike-place-market-gets-a-cleaning/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=November 9, 2024}}
=Cleanings=
On November 3, 2015, the Pike Place Market Preservation & Development Authority announced that the wall would be fully cleaned for the first time in 20 years. The steam cleaning and maintenance was intended to prevent further erosion of the bricks on the walls from the sugar in the gum.{{cite press release |last=Crawford |first=Emily |date=November 3, 2015 |title=Pike Place Market's Famous Gum Wall Receives Complete Cleaning |url=http://pikeplacemarket.org/sites/default/files/Gum%20Wall%20Announcement_11_3_15.pdf |publisher=Pike Place Market Preservation & Development Authority |access-date=November 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151112073705/http://pikeplacemarket.org/sites/default/files/Gum%20Wall%20Announcement_11_3_15.pdf |archive-date=November 12, 2015}}{{cite news |last1=O'Brien |first1=Kirsten |date=November 3, 2015 |title=Cleaning up Seattle's gum wall |newspaper=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Cleaning-up-Seattle-s-gum-wall-6607651.php |url-status=live |access-date=November 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104045057/http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Cleaning-up-Seattle-s-gum-wall-6607651.php |archive-date=November 4, 2015}}{{cite news |date=November 3, 2015 |title=Seattle's Gum Wall getting a scrub down |url=http://www.king5.com/story/news/2015/11/03/gumwallscrubdown/75080416/ |work=KING-TV |access-date=November 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119122928/http://www.king5.com/story/news/2015/11/03/gumwallscrubdown/75080416/ |archive-date=November 19, 2015 }} Prior to this, it had only ever been spot-cleaned in areas where gum had been placed in prohibited areas.{{Cite news |last=Spinelli |first=Megan |date=November 4, 2015 |title=Seattle's Gum Wall Is Getting Scrubbed, Making Room for a 'Clean Canvas' |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/seattles-gum-wall-scrubbed-making-room-clean-canvas/story?id=34973176 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206045806/https://abcnews.go.com/US/seattles-gum-wall-scrubbed-making-room-clean-canvas/story?id=34973176 |archive-date=February 6, 2022 |access-date=February 6, 2022 |website=ABC News |language=en}} In response to online posts, Pike Place Market officials launched a photo contest, encouraging fans to share their personal photos and memories of the wall online.{{Cite news |last=Brait |first=Ellen |date=November 11, 2015 |title=Seattle gum wall: steam-cleaners at work to clear 'germiest place on Earth' |url=http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/nov/11/seattle-gum-wall-steam-cleaners-pike-place-market |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923083406/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/nov/11/seattle-gum-wall-steam-cleaners-pike-place-market |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |access-date=February 9, 2022 |work=The Guardian |language=en}}
Work began on November 10 and took 130 hours to complete,{{cite news |last=DeMay |first=Daniel |date=November 16, 2015 |title=Gum wall not clean for long |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Gum-wall-not-clean-for-long-6636173.php |newspaper=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |access-date=November 18, 2015}} with over {{convert|2,350|lbs|kg}} of gum removed and disposed of.{{cite news |last=Bush |first=Evan |date=November 10, 2015 |title=Gum wall gets naked in early-morning steam cleaning |newspaper=The Seattle Times |url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/gum-wall-gets-naked-in-early-morning-steam-cleaning/ |url-status=live |url-access= |access-date=November 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151213202223/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/gum-wall-gets-naked-in-early-morning-steam-cleaning/ |archive-date=December 13, 2015}}{{cite news |last=Bush |first=Evan |date=November 16, 2015 |title=Seattle gum-wall time-lapse: Watch ton of gum disappear in a minute |newspaper=The Seattle Times |url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/how-much-gum-dotted-pike-place-markets-post-alley/ |url-status=live |url-access= |access-date=November 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151213213737/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/how-much-gum-dotted-pike-place-markets-post-alley/ |archive-date=December 13, 2015}} The work was contracted to a local company and cost about $4,000 to complete.{{Cite news |author=Hunter |first=Marnie |date=November 4, 2015 |title=Pike Place Market's gum wall getting a deep cleaning |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/seattle-pike-place-gum-wall-cleaning-feat/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209051045/https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/seattle-pike-place-gum-wall-cleaning-feat/index.html |archive-date=February 9, 2022 |access-date=February 9, 2022 |website=CNN |language=en}} The temperature of the steam machines reached up to {{Convert|280|F|C|abbr=}}, delaminating the gum pieces and ensuring that the low pressure would not harm the bricks.{{Citation |last=The Oregonian |title=Sticky situation: Cleaning up Seattle 'gum wall' |date=November 10, 2015 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w5LtygBD9M |publisher=YouTube |language=en |access-date=February 4, 2022}}{{Cite journal|last1=Parkland College|last2=Barnes|first2=Scott|last3=Floess|first3=Peter|last4=Webb|first4=Brittany|last5=Moss|first5=Matthew|last6=Trueblood|first6=Zach|last7=Benson|first7=Sierra|last8=Kenter|first8=Jacob|last9=Vilmin|first9=Adam|date=November 11, 2015|title=Prospectus, November 11, 2015|url=https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2015/27|journal=Prospectus 2015|volume=9 |issue=12 }} The discarded gum was then sent to a normal landfill rather than composted.{{Cite web |last=Spencer |first=Aaron |date=November 4, 2015 |title=Seattle gum wall: Where will all the discarded gum go? |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-gum-wall-where-will-all-the-discarded-gum-go/ |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209051540/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-gum-wall-where-will-all-the-discarded-gum-go/ |archive-date=February 9, 2022 |access-date=February 9, 2022 |website=The Seattle Times |language=en-US}}
After the cleaning was finished, gum began to be re-added to the wall almost immediately, as there were no preventative measures to prohibit sticking gum to the newly cleaned wall.{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Alan |title=Scrape It Off, Scrape It Off—Seattle Removes 20 Years Worth of Gum From Historic Wall - The Atlantic |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/11/scrape-it-off-scrape-it-off/415353/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206055926/https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/11/scrape-it-off-scrape-it-off/415353/ |archive-date=February 6, 2022 |access-date=February 6, 2022 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}} Some of the new additions were memorials to the November 2015 Paris attacks.{{cite news |last=Frohne |first=Lauren |date=November 15, 2015 |title="Re-gumming" the gum wall — for Paris |newspaper=The Seattle Times |url=http://www.seattletimes.com/photo-video/video/re-gumming-the-gum-wall-with-support-for-paris/ |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=November 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118040046/https://www.seattletimes.com/photo-video/video/re-gumming-the-gum-wall-with-support-for-paris/ |archive-date=November 18, 2015}} The gum wall was cleaned again in September 2018{{Cite web |last=Capestany |first=Gabriela |title=Seattle's famous gum wall cleaned again |website=King 5 News|url=https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/the-infamous-seattle-gum-wall-cleaned-again/281-595525597}} and November 2024.
Recognition
It was named one of the top 5 "germiest" tourist attractions in 2009, second to the Blarney Stone.{{cite news|url=http://komonews.com/news/local/ewww-seattle-gum-wall-a-top-germy-attraction-11-20-2015|title=Ewww! Seattle gum wall a top germy attraction|date=June 13, 2009|work=Komo News|access-date=July 21, 2016}}{{cite news |last=Griswold |first=Jamie |date=June 11, 2009 |title=Seattle Gum Wall ranks in top 5 "Germiest Attractions" |work=MyNorthWest.com |url=http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=177556 |access-date=August 14, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617064058/http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=177556 |archive-date=June 17, 2009}} The Washington state governor, Jay Inslee, said it is his "favorite thing about Seattle you can't find anywhere else".{{cite journal |author=Nelson |first=Sean |date=23 May 2018 |title=Notable local: Jay Inslee, Governor of Washington |url=https://archive.org/details/thestranger_27_21 |journal=The Stranger |volume=21 |issue=21 |page=10}} The Gum Wall is located at the start of the Ghost Tour,{{cite news|title=Post Alley - Gum Wall|work=The News Tribune|url=http://calendar.thenewstribune.com/seattle-wa/venues/show/1132357-post-alley-gum-wall|access-date=August 14, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717015538/http://calendar.thenewstribune.com/seattle-wa/venues/show/1132357-post-alley-gum-wall|archive-date=July 17, 2011}}{{cite web |last=Chin |first=Brian |date=September 28, 2008 |title=The Pike Place Market Ghost Tours |url=http://blog.seattlepi.com/spi/archives/146881.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829185703/http://blog.seattlepi.com/spi/2008/09/28/audio-slideshow-the-pike-place-market-ghost-tours/ |archive-date=August 29, 2012 |access-date=August 14, 2009 |work=SPI blog |publisher=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}} and also a popular site with wedding photographers. Oftentimes, visitors create declarations of love out of gum, making for a comparison of the gum wall to other romantic spots such as the Pont des Art in Paris.{{cn|date=March 2025}}
Reception
Some argue that the gum wall encourages litter{{citation needed|date=February 2022}} as visitors usually stick items like cigarette butts or gum wrappers along the wall.{{cn|date=March 2025}} There were also prior complaints that the gum was being tracked into nearby businesses{{Cite news |last=McNichols |first=Joshua |date=November 11, 2015 |title=Seattle Says Goodbye To A Disgusting Tourist Attraction: The Gum Wall |language=en |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2015/11/11/455657410/seattle-says-goodbye-to-a-disgusting-tourist-attraction-the-gum-wall |url-status=live |access-date=January 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121202613/https://www.npr.org/2015/11/11/455657410/seattle-says-goodbye-to-a-disgusting-tourist-attraction-the-gum-wall |archive-date=January 21, 2022}} and that it attracts rats in the alley.{{Cite web |date=November 10, 2015 |title=Bubble Rubble: Crews Clean Up Famed Seattle 'Gum Wall' |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/bubble-rubble-crews-clean-famed-seattle-gum-wall-n461086 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121203417/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/bubble-rubble-crews-clean-famed-seattle-gum-wall-n461086 |archive-date=January 21, 2022 |access-date=January 22, 2022 |website=NBC News |language=en}} Bars and restaurants situated across from the attraction attempted to prevent gum from reaching their properties by displaying signs with the message "No Gum", but this strategy proved ineffective.{{Cite news|last=Sailor|first=Craig|date=April 15, 2018|title=Popular gum wall poses sticky situation in Seattle; Social media has turned this sticky alley into one of Seattle's top tourist destinations|work=Richmond Times Dispatch}}
As art
Although officials of the Pike Place Market defined the concern about the gum affecting the brick wall, some may see the participation in sticking up the substance as attributing to collective action.{{Cite thesis |last=Joung |first=Joo Yeoun |date=2020 |title=Rest Stop: a design exploration inspired by micro moment of food |url=https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0388507 |language=en |doi=10.14288/1.0388507 |degree=M.Arch |publisher=Konkuk University}} Many may classify the spot as a 'collective art' piece, where something colloquially bad has been transformed into artwork.{{Cite journal|last=Leob|first=J.|date=March 1, 2018|title=Walls - Engineering in society: Good, Bad or Ugly? - Ten significant wall|url=https://digital-library.theiet.org/content/journals/10.1049/et.2018.0220|journal=Engineering & Technology|language=en|volume=13|issue=2|pages=30–33|doi=10.1049/et.2018.0220|issn=1750-9637}} The wall is also usually decorated with physical copies of some artists' work that they stick up.{{Cite web |last=Khan |first=Tanveer |date=September 5, 2020 |title=Market Theater Gum Wall: The Sticky Story of a Wall Decorated in Chewing Gum |url=https://www.ststworld.com/gum-wall/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206052534/https://www.ststworld.com/gum-wall/ |archive-date=February 6, 2022 |access-date=February 6, 2022 |website=STSTW Media |language=en-GB}} Given that the wall is rarely cleaned, many practice graffiti art on spots where there is less gum and more visibility.{{cn|date=March 2025}}
In January 2024, local artist Rudy Willingham chewed 200 pieces of gum to create a mural of Pete Carroll on the wall shortly after he departed as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. Carroll had been known for chewing up to 130 pieces of gum on gamedays; the {{convert|2|ft|m|adj=mid}} mural depicts him wearing a headset and is made of solid colors.{{cite news |last=Blatchford |first=Taylor |date=January 29, 2024 |title=Sticky Pete Carroll mural honors the gum-chomping former Seahawks coach |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/sticky-pete-carroll-mural-honors-the-gum-chomping-former-seahawks-coach/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 29, 2024}}
See also
References
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External links
- {{Commons category-inline|Gum wall, Seattle, Washington}}
{{Central Waterfront, Seattle}}
{{Pike Place Market}}
{{Streets in Seattle}}
Category:1991 establishments in Washington (state)
Category:Central Waterfront, Seattle