Yes, the famous gum wall at Pike Place market’s Post Alley in Seattle, Washington, has officially been steamed off!
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It is a popular tourist attraction in the United States, but not for much longer.
Jessica Wang, left, and Michael Teylan, both of Los Angeles, take…
Though it has developed into an ode to America’s beloved minty-fresh synthetic rubber, Seattle’s preservation community now fear the gummy display could tarnish the historic status of the Pike Place Market, which opened in August of 1907.
Obviously, city officials likely realize that tourists and locals will just start sticking their gum right back on the wall as soon as the cleaning team rolls out.
The tradition began around 1993 when patrons of a local theatre group stuck gum to the wall of nearby Market Theater and placed coins in them.
The post Seattle’s 20-year-old “Gum Wall” gets cleaned appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
A piece of Seattle history is coming down.
The wall is plastered with wads of gum in a kaleidoscope of colors, a few stretched and pinched into messages, hearts and other designs.
“It’s an icon. It’s history”, said onlooker Zoe Freeman, who works near Pike Place.
This enormous chewing gum-encrusted wall in the U.S. has been subject to an extensive clean up operation – and the pictures are not pretty.
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The more than 25 years and upwards of 2,000 pounds of gum will take three days to remove with an industrial steam machine, Kelly Foster of Cascadian Building Maintenance told The Times. Market officials hope to contain where people put their gum in the future but say they aren’t holding their breath.
