This will not mean much to people not familiar with Seattle. But, to those who have been around Seattle, particularly Pioneer Square, this is a big deal.

Pergola pieces are back, fittingly

The pergola, that long-absent friend of Pioneer Square, returned yesterday the way it left: piece by piece.

The erection and assembly of the cast-iron and glass canopy will take five weeks. It won't come a moment too soon for neighborhood residents and merchants.

"It's much more than a physical structure," said Casey Jones, executive director of the Pioneer Square Community Association. "It's the heart and soul of the neighborhood."

The pergola was built in 1910 as a graceful waiting area and gateway to the "comfort station" -- the underground restrooms of marble, brass and terrazzo.

It withstood anything man or nature would dish out in Pioneer Square for 90 years.

Then on Jan. 15, 2001, an 18-wheeler took the corner at First Avenue and Yesler Way too sharply and pulled the pergola down like a row of dominoes.
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Truck accidentally destroys historic Pioneer Square pergola on January 15, 2001.

Pioneer Square Pergola Restoration Under Way