Downtown Seattle in King County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)
Belltown Pan
Photographed By Marilee Benore, May 11, 2021
1. Belltown Pan Marker
Inscription.
Belltown Pan. . On this site, from 1978 to 1982, the Belltown Café served the neighborhood as a cultural hearth and home to a Groundhog Day root pie tradition. The café proprietors often traded food for art with their customers. One exchange resulted in the creation of the "Belltown Pan", a large metal pan in the shape of a bell, fabricated to function both as an exterior sign for the café and as a baking pan that would fit into a commercial oven. On Groundhog Day, the pan would be taken inside and used to bake an assortment of root vegetables for all to share, then returned to its outdoor position the following day. During this time period, the community engaged in many civic activities including the planting of street trees along First Avenue, and the establishment of the Apex Belltown Co-op. Today, the non-profit affordable housing organization, Bellwether, occupies this site; and the iconic Belltown pan lives on as a symbolic call to engage in community action for the common good.
On this site, from 1978 to 1982, the Belltown Café served the neighborhood as a cultural hearth and home to a Groundhog Day root pie tradition. The café proprietors often traded food for art with their customers. One exchange resulted in the creation of the "Belltown Pan", a large metal pan in the shape of a bell, fabricated to function both as an exterior sign for the café and as a baking pan that would fit into a commercial oven. On Groundhog Day, the pan would be taken inside and used to bake an assortment of root vegetables for all to share, then returned to its outdoor position the following day. During this time period, the community engaged in many civic activities including the planting of street trees along First Avenue, and the establishment of the Apex Belltown Co-op. Today, the non-profit affordable housing organization, Bellwether, occupies this site; and the iconic Belltown pan lives on as a symbolic call to engage in community action for the common good.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1978.
Location. 47° 36.809′ N, 122° 20.821′ W. Marker is in Seattle, Washington, in King County. It is in Downtown Seattle. Marker is on 1st Avenue north of Bell Street, on
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the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2307 1st Avenue, Seattle WA 98121, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . The History of the Belltown Pan. Article about the Belltown Café, the pan, and the tradition of baking root pies. Also, "the Belltown Café closed in 1983 and the building itself was lost to fire 4 years later. From the ashes came a new affordable housing development – The Oregon Apartments." (Submitted on August 24, 2021, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)
Credits. This page was last revised on March 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 24, 2021, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 817 times since then and 32 times this year. Photo1. submitted on August 24, 2021, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
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