Hey, history buffs. Submit your unofficial historical locations around town.
Have you ever looked at a local spot and thought, “This place deserves to be commemorated?” Our city is full of legendary locations — many of which are indicated by historical markers. Historical markers reveal significant places, streets, neighborhoods, buildings, businesses, and cultural events from the past or present. Think: Ballard City Hall Bell and Eagle Building.
But not all significant areas get the attention they deserve. What about the Ballard crosswalk where 12s refused to jaywalk even after our Super Bowl win? That got us a lot of national attention.
Or the Goodwill where Macklemore shot his “Thrift Shop” video? We want to put these places on the map — literally.
Rules + details
Submit your historic place for a chance to be featured nationwide on our historical marker map. Our favorite submissions will then be featured in our newsletter, where we’ll put it to a vote. Who knows? Maybe it will receive an official historical marker.
Submissions are open through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18.
Finalists will be selected by our team and announced in our newsletter on Wednesday, Aug. 21. These finalists will then go head-to-head in a vote for our readers’ favorite. The winner will be announced on Thursday, Aug. 29. No promises that it will get an actual historical marker, but it will be one in our hearts.
Want to know more about official historical markers around town? Check out the Historical Marker Database.
The results
The votes are in for the SEAtoday unofficial historical marker contest. Check out the finalists below, including the contest winner our readers voted for.
Winner: Linda’s Tavern
It was a close call, but when it came down to Linda’s Tavern or the Pacific Science Center, the choice was clear for SEAtoday readers. 44% of our readers voted for this Capitol Hill staple which has been around since 1994 and is often referred to as “grunge Cheers.” According to Rudd Schupp with Visit Seattle, it is also “the last place that Kurt Cobain was seen alive.”
Pacific Science Center
Close behind Linda’s was the Pacific Science Center with 38% of the vote. Designed by Seattle-born architect Minoru Yamasaki, Schupp credits PacSci as the work that secured Yamasaki’s gig as designer for The World Trade Centers in New York.
Madison Park Dock
Reader Lisa S. nominated the old landing, originally built for the ferry to Kirkland (before the floating bridge). We loved learning more about the history of this fantastic swimming beach, which used to be at the end of the Madison Street cable car line.
We got more submissions than these. Just check out our map of unofficial historical locations — both locally and across the nation.
