Earth Versus Viaduct

Be it rickety pilings or concrete behemoth, Seattle's industrial transportation along the waterfront has only been as strong as the seawall beneath it. In this episode, we remember fondly the "gritty, grungy" viaduct and the not-so-hallowed ground upon which it stood.

With both the viaduct and seawall breathing their last breathes, Seattle faces a full shoreline reorganization and as Knute Berger notes, "Every decision Seattle makes is often infused with a moral righteousness. We don't just look at a highway project as a highway project, we view it as a statement about our values and that's where this public debate and consensus gets snagged."

This series is hosted by Dominic Black and Kiku Hughes and features guests Jared Smith, Bob Donegan, Knute Berger, Jennifer Ott, and Coll Thrush

Additional resources:

• HistoryLink's Square One Podcast
• Seattle Municipal Archives Digital Collections - Alaskan Way Viaduct Construction
• Seattle Municipal Archives Digital Collections - Seawall Damage
• Smallpox epidemic ravages Native Americans on the northwest coast of North America in the 1770s.
• Thomson, Reginald Heber (1856-1949)