Business

Bubble yuck: Crews unstick old gum from famed Seattle wall

Posted November 10, 2015 6:00 am

By MANUEL VALDES

A worker uses a high-temperature pressure washer to clean layers of gum from Seattle's famous "gum wall" at Pike Place Market, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015. Tourists and locals have been sticking their used chewing gum on the walls of a section of Post Alley for the past 20 years, and although the walls will be cleaned down to bare brick, officials expect the gum-sticking tradition will quickly return. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) The Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) - A piece of Seattle history is coming down - or rather, 1 million little pieces.

Crews are cleaning up the city's famed "gum wall" near Pike Place Market, where tourists and locals have been sticking their used chewing gum for the past 20 years.

The wall is plastered with wads of gum in a kaleidoscope of colors, some stretched and pinched into messages, hearts and other designs. People also have used the gooey gobs to paste up pictures, business cards and other mementos.

On Tuesday, powerful steam cleaners were melting it all off.

Emily Crawford, a Pike Place Market spokeswoman, said that following a busy summer season, market leaders decided now was as good a time as any to wipe the wall clean. But they expect people will start leaving gum on the space again soon.

"It's an icon. It's history," said onlooker Zoe Freeman, who works near Pike Place. "The market is famous for the gum wall. But it also draws rats."

Pike Place Market hired a contractor, Cascadian Building Maintenance, to take on the cleaning. They chose steam over pressure-washing to conserve the historic market's brick walls.

On Tuesday, a fruity, sweet smell wafted through the alley as workers in protective suits blasted the dried gum with moist air.

"I just hope that the citizens of Seattle don't hate me for removing the gum wall," said Kelly Foster, the contractor's general manager.

People first began smooshing their gum to the wall while waiting for shows at the nearby Market Theater. Since then, the "gum wall" has expanded beyond one wall and onto other walls of an alley, pipes and even the theater's box office window.

Crawford said the cleaning crew will collect and weigh the gum each day it is removed. The cleaning is expected to take three days.

By Crawford's rough calculation, there are about 2,200 pounds of gum on the walls.

"We'll find out at the end of the week how right my guesstimate really is," she said.

Market officials hope to contain where people put their gum in the future but say they aren't holding their breath.

___

This story has been corrected to show an official estimates the walls hold about 2,200 pounds of gum, not 2,200-hundred pounds.

Fernando Soberania, left, and Javier Ramirez, right, work to clean layers of gum from Seattle's famous "gum wall" at Pike Place Market, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015. Tourists and locals have been sticking their used chewing gum on the walls of a section of Post Alley for the past 20 years, and although the walls will be cleaned down to bare brick, officials expect the gum-sticking tradition will quickly return. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) The Associated Press

A worker uses a powerful steam cleaner to work decades of gum off a "gum wall" that stretches behind and above him, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015, in Seattle. Tourists and locals have been sticking their used chewing gum to the wall near Pike Place Market for 20 years, leaving an estimated 1 million pieces in a kaleidoscope of colors, some stretched and pinched into messages, hearts and other designs. On Tuesday, cleaners began melting it all off. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) The Associated Press

Jessica Wang, left, and Michael Teylan, both of Los Angeles, use a selfie stick at Seattle's "gum wall" at Pike Place Market, Monday, Nov. 9, 2015. On Tuesday, a steam-cleaning process to remove all of the gum from the walls is scheduled to begin, the first full cleaning the tourist attraction has received in 20 years. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) The Associated Press

The likeness of an American flag made from pieces of gum sticks to a wall at Seattle's "gum wall" at Pike Place Market, Monday, Nov. 9, 2015. On Tuesday, a steam-cleaning process to remove all of the gum from the walls is scheduled to begin, the first full cleaning the quirky tourist attraction has received in 20 years. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) The Associated Press

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