Workers are steam blasting the famed tourist attraction at Pike Place Market, wiping it clean of its approximately 1 million pieces of gum – a few of which are 20 years old.
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Pike Place Market spokeswoman Emily Crawford says based on her rough calculations, that equals about 2,200 pounds of gum.
The wall began when people stuck their gum to it while waiting for shows at nearby Market Theater.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end – and so must the unsavoury history of this wall.
According to the Seattle Times, the contracted cleaning crew steam in protective suits cleaned the walls, causing the gum to melt and fall onto the ground.
Revoltingly, a few parts of the multi-coloured wall of gunk have been stretched and pinched into messages, hearts and other designs.
The market hired a contractor to use steam because pressure washing would damage the historic building.
Over the years, the gum grew to cover an area of the wall eight feet in height and 54 feet wide, with about 150 pieces of gum per brick.
The bacteria-filled brick wall had 20-years-worth of gum attached to it, as it was tradition for visitors to attach their own gum to the wall. Officials intend to weigh all the gum they gather in order to determine an exact measurement.
Another user Tweeted: “The gum wall in Seattle was washed away and it deeply saddens me”.
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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 cleaning is slated to take three days to complete.
