Infamous Pike Place Market wall contains an estimated million wads of gum, about 150 pieces per brick, and will be steam-cleaned over three days

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

The infamous Pike Place gum wall, a local landmark in Seattle, is being cleaned of its more than one million gum wads for the first time in 20 years, according to officials.



The controversial move is being made “to protect the integrity of the bricks making up the historic walls of Post Alley”, where the wall stands, according to a press release from Pike Place Market officials.

The cleaning process, which started on Tuesday, will probably last until Thursday or Friday. Workers are steam-cleaning the walls, which host approximately 150 pieces of gum per brick.

The wall was started 20 years ago by audience members waiting in line for an improvisational comedy club, Market Theater. It has been cleaned and recreated three times since then, according to Kent Whipple, marketing and development director for Unexpected Productions, the improv theatre troupe that works in the theatre.

Over the years, gum has expanded beyond the original wall and spread across an area eight feet high and over 54 feet wide.

“The wall is like the art that takes place behind it, constantly changing from the sharing of its participants,” Whipple said.



To honor the cleaning of the wall, Pike Place Market officials held a photo contest for “fans around the world to share their gum wall memories”, according to Emily Crawford, director of communications and marketing for the Pike Place Market preservation and development authority.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jessica Wang, visiting from Los Angeles, has her photo taken at Seattle’s gum wall the day before it was steam-cleaned. Photograph: Ted S. Warren/AP

Instagram was flooded with postings from tourists and residents alike, recalling their time at the gum wall. “One of the last to witness the germiest place on earth,” one post read.

But Pike Place Market officials expect visitors will be smearing their gum on the walls again in no time.

“We expect the gum wall will live on – it’s a Seattle tradition and a crowd-sourced piece of public art that people really enjoy,” Crawford said. “But it’s time to start with a clean canvas.”