Pike Place Gum Wall gets 1st cleaning since 2019

SEATTLE — Downtown Seattle's iconic Gum Wall at Pike Place Market underwent its first cleaning in nearly five years.

A spokesperson for Pike Place Market told KOMO News the cleaning began on Monday and was expected to be completed by Friday.

PHOTOS | Pike Place Gum Wall gets 1st cleaning since 2019

"The last time we cleaned the Gum Wall was in 2019," wrote the Pike Place Market spokesperson. "While it may look a little different at first, it’s amazing how quickly Market visitors fill it back up!"

They also noted that they're leaving a heart-shaped section of the current gum as a special memento.

"The Gum Wall started in the 1990s when local patrons and performers at Unexpected Productions stuck their used gum on the wall," Pike Place Market wrote on its website. "Since those days, the wall has grown piece by piece to cover an enormous expanse of brick and continues to expand down Post Alley."

The Gum Wall has migrated from its original location and grown to more than eight feet high and 54 feet wide, according to the Pike Place Market spokesperson.

FROM 2015 | Surprise! Seattle's newly cleaned gum wall already tacky

In 2015, the Gum Wall was cleaned for the first time in 20 years, and one ton of gum and debris was removed during this cleaning, according to the Pike Place Market spokesperson.

During the 2015 cleaning, an estimated one million gum wads, about 2,350 pounds, were removed in three days. Pike Place Market officials said the gooey gobs filled about 94 buckets.