Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE DENNY TRIANGLE
A proverbial no-man's land shoehorned between South Lake Union and Belltown,
the Denny Triangle is positioning itself as Seattle's next big thing with ambitious
plans for offices, condo towers and super-modern multi-use buildings that will
create up to 25,000 new jobs. Ironically, the neighborhood sits on some import-
ant pioneer history. Seattle's first land claim was staked here by the Denny Party
in 1852, though the weary, rain-lashed pioneers probably wouldn't recognize their
fledgling settlement today. Until the 1890s, the area was occupied by a steep hill
that covered 62 city blocks and had a summit at the intersection of modern-day
4th Ave and Blanchard St. Seen as an impediment to the continued expansion of
downtown, the hill was gradually 'demolished' and sluiced into Elliott Bay in a
massive public-works project known as the Denny Regrade that began in 1898
and took 32 years to complete.
Devoid of sights per se, the triangle is best known for its endless construction
sites and annoying traffic diversions. Its most recognizable landmark is the gaudy
neon
pink elephant sign
outside the Elephant Super Car Wash that has been re-
volving on the corner of Denny Way and Battery St since 1956. To local residents
it's as quintessentially Seattle as the Space Needle.
