Plymouth Pillars Park: Four Church Columns Above I-5

Frequently asked questions

The four columns came from Plymouth Congregational Church at 6th Avenue and University Street. The church was damaged in the 1965 Puget Sound earthquake and rebuilt without them.

Yes. The park includes an off-leash area for dogs, along with benches, a pedestrian walkway and public art.

Yes, Four Pillars Park was a long-used unofficial name. The park was rededicated in January 2006 as Plymouth Pillars Park.

The pillars once framed views of Pike Place Market and the Space Needle, but nearby development has since blocked those views.

The park covers about 0.6 acre on a triangular site at Boren Avenue and Pike Street, overlooking Interstate 5.

Four tall columns rise from a small triangle of green above Interstate 5, an unusual sight on the southwestern edge of Capitol Hill. Plymouth Pillars Park is a 0.6-acre city park at Boren Avenue and Pike Street, where pillars salvaged from a downtown church damaged in the 1965 Puget Sound earthquake share the space with an off-leash area for dogs, a few benches and a walkway above the freeway.

Four Columns With a Past

Picture the pillars in their first home, the front of Plymouth Congregational Church at 6th Avenue and University Street in downtown Seattle. The 1965 Puget Sound earthquake damaged the building, and when the congregation rebuilt, the new church rose without its columns.

Crews lowered the columns in March 1966. Local businessman and art collector John Hauberg bought them and then gave them to the City of Seattle, which picked a triangular piece of state-owned land overlooking Interstate 5 as their new setting.

Read the full guide

How the Monument Became a Park

The columns went up on the Pike Street site in April 1967, and the land passed to the Seattle Parks Department. The monument was formally dedicated on October 24, 1967. For years, plenty of people simply called the spot Four Pillars Park, though that name was never official, and in January 2006 the park was rededicated under its current name, Plymouth Pillars Park.

A Viewpoint Without Its View

When the pillars first stood here, they framed sightlines toward Pike Place Market and the Space Needle. Over the decades, new buildings rose nearby and closed off those views, so today the columns frame a cityscape that has changed all around them.

That shift gives the park a wonderfully odd character. In 2018, Seattle Times news artist and sketcher Gabriel Campanario singled out Plymouth Pillars Park as possibly one of the strangest viewpoints in the city. Come for exactly that reason, and stand beside a monument built for a view that the city later built over.

What to See and Do

Plymouth Pillars Park is compact, so plan on a short stop rather than a long outing. Here is what you will find on the site:

The four pillars: the centerpiece of the park and the source of its name.
An off-leash dog area: a fenced spot where dogs can run, popular with residents of the surrounding blocks.
Benches: places to sit and gaze out over the freeway corridor.
A pedestrian walkway: a path that leads you through the triangular site.
Public art: artwork set alongside the historic columns.

Before you go, check with Seattle Parks and Recreation for current rules on the dog area and any updates.

Exploring Around Pike and Boren

The park sits where the Broadway neighborhood on Capitol Hill slopes down toward downtown, and several city landmarks lie a short walk away. Within about two blocks, you can reach:

Wintonia Hotel, under 0.1 mile
First Covenant Church, 0.1 mile
Paramount Theatre and Building, 0.1 mile
Summit School/Northwest School, 0.2 mile
Camlin Hotel, 0.2 mile
Freeway Park, 0.2 mile
Cassel Crag Apartments, 0.2 mile

Pair your stop with a stroll through Freeway Park, since both green spaces sit beside Interstate 5. The pillars also make an easy detour before a show at the Paramount Theatre. When you are ready for more green space across the city, browse our guide to parks in Seattle.