Underground Maps

On June 6, 1889, the entire central business district of Seattle was destroyed by fire, and it was unsurprisingly, a turning point in our city's history. In the wake of the fire, the downtown buildings were rebuilt 20 feet above the original street level.

It was the network of underground passageways [aka areaways], that came to mind when I read Silvia/A Stranger View's Bee Sewcial prompt, Underground Maps. Silvia shared a pin board, Beesewcial Subway Map, and it seemed to give me permission to go anywhere, so underground Seattle it was.

One of the unique details of the bygone days that are still very much visible today are the purple pavement lights - basically 'skylights' in the current sidewalks, which once provided light to shine down to the businesses below. I represented these sidewalk prisms with very tiny piecing. Each 'skylight' finishes at 1".

My block measures 16 1/2" x 19 1/2", and it really is a fairly accurate representation of Seattle's remaining underground network. Believe it or not, this historical area has been a tourist attraction for over 50 years. Silva asked us to 'take her places,' and I think Seattle's underground was a unique and worthy destination.