Preserving the LGBTQ+ History of Pioneer Square

Pioneer Square is the historic heart of the Seattle. Long before the city was founded, this area was home to Dzizdilalich, a Coast Salish village where the Suquamish, Duwamish, and Muckleshoot peoples gathered to trade, socialize, and harvest shellfish. From Ballast Island to present-day Chief Seattle Club, Native people have lived in and around Pioneer Square since time immemorial.

As Seattle grew, Pioneer Square became the center of a young city. In 1889, a fire swept through the neighborhood, destroying much of the neighborhood. As rebuilding began, the City Council required all new construction be built with brick or stone. Many of these nineteenth-century buildings still line the streets today, creating a bridge between modern Seattle and its early development.

But the story of Pioneer Square is about more than the buildings themselves. Behind these facades are layers of community history. Beneath the sidewalks lie the remnants of the original street level, while within these buildings, generations of Seattlites built community, culture, and belonging. During the mid 1900s, LGBTQ people created spaces where they could gather and live more openly at a time when doing so was often difficult and dangerous. These stories, like so many others, are essential threads in Seattle’s history.

We sat down with writer, storyteller, and South Seattle Emerald editor Rosette Royale to talk about how Pioneer Square served as a refuge for LGBTQ+ Seattleites to find community and the freedom to be their true, authentic selves.

Learn more about our Historic Preservation Program: www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/historic-preservation

Read more stories from Seattle’s LGBTQ+ Community: www.frontporch.seattle.gov/tag/lgbtq-seattle-histories

Take the History Link Pioneer Square LGBTQ+ Walking Tour: www.historylink.tours/tour/pioneer-squares-lgbtq-history/