Pike Place opens up long-awaited MarketFront expansion

Under sunny skies, one of Seattle's most iconic spots officially began a new era.

After decades of planning, Pike Place Market unveiled its $74 million MarketFront expansion at a grand opening ceremony Thursday that featured a nod to the area's native inhabitants and remarks from several local luminaries.

"The spirit of Pike Place Market is the spirit of Seattle -- centered around the sky, sea and mountains that surround us, but built as a special home for creative spirits, open minds, hard workers and compassionate souls," said Matt Hanna of the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority (PDA). "That spirit is carried forward and finds new life here at the MarketFront."

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The new expansion adds 30,000 square feet to the nearly 110-year-old market, including 47 new stalls under an all-weather canopy, 12,000 square feet of commercial and production space to be used by four separate businesses and 40 units of low-income senior housing, some of which will be occupied by artists selling their wares at the the MarketFront pavilion.

The expansion was built on top of a 3/4 acre parking lot at what was the former location of the Municipal Market Building. A fire damaged the building in 1974, and it took nearly half a century for the MarketFront to rise in its place.

"It took us 40 years," said Ben Franz-Knight of the Pike Place Market PDA. "That's because it was not easy. Like everything else in the market, it was complicated. It involved a lot of voices."

Stephanie Shull of Pike Place Pigs and the rest of the market's artists have been watching the project's progress with great anticipation. If Shull's response is any indication, they're thrilled with the results.

"The MarketFront pavilion has not disappointed. This space is incredible. We love it," she said before ringing a commemorative bell and declaring the pavilion "open for business."

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Featuring commanding views of Elliott Bay, the MarketFront is also just the latest piece of the waterfront renaissance in Seattle that began with the recently completed digging of a nearly 2-mile tunnel under the city and will end when the Alaskan Way Viaduct comes down.

"This is not just about the market," Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said. "This is about a vision for the waterfront. If chapter one was digging a tunnel, then chapter two is today. It is opening this incredible facility."

The grand opening ceremony included a performance by the Chief Seattle Drum Group, as well as remarks from Joe Desimone, whose grandfather sold produce at the market.

"When you look out and see this view today, there's no other market in the United States that has a view like this one," Desimone said amid loud applause.

Check out photos of the new MarketFront in the gallery above.

Seattlepi.com reporter Stephen Cohen can be reached at 206-448-8313 or stephencohen@seattlepi.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter at @scohenPI.