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The Rainy CitySeattle, one neighborhood at a time

Pioneer Square

A receding row of five-globe cast-iron street lamps glowing at night in Pioneer Square, shot in high-contrast black and white, with a lit cafe sign further down the block

Pioneer Square · December 2010

Posted Aug 18, 2026

The Lamps Are Not the Old Part

Seattle's first street lighting burned coal gas a few blocks from here in 1873, delivered through hollowed-out cedar logs.