New Historic District Proposed for Waterfront

Seattle mayor Greg Nickels will propose on Wednesday a new historic district for the city's Central Waterfront as part of an overhaul of the entire waterfront experience. The proposed city landmark district, which covers the historic wooden piers 54 to 59, is part of a vision for the waterfront in the years after the Alaskan Way Viaduct, damaged in a 2001 earthquake, is replaced.

The piers are remnants of the century-long role the old industrial waterfront played in the shaping of the city. After World War II, most cargo handling moved to areas north and south of the central waterfront, which is next to the city's downtown business and residential districts. The piers and pier sheds, once warehouses for the movement of goods from all over the United States, are now retail shops, tourist activities, and home to the Seattle Aquarium. For more details about the Central Waterfront plan, see the city's Department of Planning and Development website.

I'd welcome any comments you might have. Is the district a good idea? Should the district includes heritage education activities, such as a museum?