Seattle: The Arch

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Seattle: The Arch (705 Pike Street)#

Opened: 1988. Exhibit space: 236,700 sq ft. Walk Score: 98. Transit Score: ~100.

The Washington State Convention Center’s original building sits on a freeway lid over I-5 at Pike Street and 7th Avenue — the geographic center of Seattle’s contiguous walkable core.

What Was Here Before#

On June 1, 1961, protesters marched along the proposed I-5 route carrying signs reading “Block the Ditch” and “Let’s Have a Lid on It.” Architect Paul Thiry proposed lids. All were rejected by state planners. I-5 opened in 1967 after demolishing roughly 6,000 homes across its Seattle route, severing Capitol Hill and First Hill from downtown.

Freeway-Lid on Convention City Almanac

Seattle: The Arch

Seattle: The Arch (705 Pike Street)#

What Was Here Before#