Gum Wall

Gum Wall

Gum Wall is a brick wall covered in used chewing gum, located in an alleyway in Post Alley under Pike Place Market in Downtown Seattle. The wall is covered several inches thick, 15 feet high for 50 feet.

History

The tradition began around 1993 when patrons of Unexpected Productions' Seattle Theatresports stuck gum to the wall and placed coins in the gum blobs. Theatre workers scraped the gum away twice, but eventually gave up after market officials deemed the gum wall a tourist attraction around 1999. Some people create small works of art out of gum.

It was named one of the top 5 germiest tourist attractions in 2009, second to the Blarney Stone. It is the location of the start of a ghost tour, and it is a popular site with wedding photographers.

Cleaning

In November 2015, for the first time in 20 years, Pike Place Market decided to clean the gum wall. The cleaning began on November 10 and took 130 hours to complete, with over 2,350 pounds (1,070 kg) of gum removed and disposed of. The market deemed the wall a biohazard. The cleaning was done with an industrial steam machine. Despite the cleaning, gum started appearing on the wall later the same day.

In popular culture

The Gum Wall has appeared in the background of the film Love Happens (2009) as a location for the character Eloise's flower shop, and is a featured location in the video game Infamous Second Son.

See also

• Bubblegum Alley
• Cadillac Ranch
• Carhenge
• Fremont Troll
• The Heidelberg Project
• Randyland
• The Ruins (Seattle)
• The Wave (Arizona)