Howe Street Stairs | |
|---|---|
| Public stairway | |
 Three flights of the Howe Street Stairs pictured in June 2016 | |
| Opening date | 1911 |
| Steps | 388 |
| Location | Seattle, United States |
| Coordinates: 47°38′10″N122°19′14″W / 47.6360°N 122.3206°W | |
The Howe Street Stairs (also known as the East Howe Steps, Howe Stairs, Howe Street Staircase, and the Howe Staircase) are a public, outdoor staircase that straddles Seattle's Capitol Hill and Eastlake neighborhoods. They were constructed in 1911.
Due to Seattle's difficult topography, the city has spent more than a century building in excess of 650 staircases linking sections of neighborhoods that are otherwise isolated or disconnected. The Howe Street Stairs were originally built in 1911 to provide a pedestrian link between two different lines in Seattle's former streetcar system. [1]
A proposal to construct a plaza at the bottom of the staircase has been advanced by area residents since the 2000s. [2]
The stairs, which begin at Eastlake Avenue, are divided into 13 flights interrupted by landings and streets. They contain 388 steps and are the longest such staircase in the city. [1] A portion of the stairs pass through the I-5 Colonnade, a city park under an elevated section of Interstate 5. They terminate at Howe Street, from which they take their name. [1] [3]
The stairs sit parallel to the nearby Blaine Street Stairs, which transits an identical route. They are used for exercise and fitness, as well as commuting. [3] [4] [5]
An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane, path, or passageway, often reserved for pedestrians, which usually runs between, behind, or within buildings in the older parts of towns and cities. It is also a rear access or service road, or a path, walk, or avenue in a park or garden.
Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage to the other level by stepping from one to another step in turn. Steps are very typically rectangular. Stairs may be straight, round, or may consist of two or more straight pieces connected at angles.
Capitol Hill is a densely populated residential district in Seattle, Washington, United States. One of the city's most popular nightlife and entertainment districts, it is home to a historic gay village and vibrant counterculture community.
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Lincoln–Lemington–Belmar is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is located in the northeastern section of the city and spans the Allegheny River. Lincoln–Lemington–Belmar houses PBF 15 Engine, and is covered by PBP Zone 5 and the Bureau of EMS Medic 1.
The Haʻikū Stairs, also known as the Stairway to Heaven or Haʻikū Ladder, is a steep, steel step structure that provided pedestrian access to former U.S. Navy communication facilities on the island of Oʻahu, Hawaii. The more than 3,000 steps span along Oahu's Ko'olau mountain range. The pathway has been used as a hiking trail at various times but is not open to the public. The city council voted to remove the stairs in 2021.
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I-5 Colonnade in Seattle, Washington, United States, is a 7.5-acre (30,000 m2) city park underneath Interstate 5 connecting the Capitol Hill and Eastlake neighborhoods, which were divided by the freeway in the 1960s. It stretches south of E. Howe Street to E. Garfield Street between Franklin Avenue E. and Lakeview Boulevard E. It was created in 2005.
The "Santa Monica Stairs" refer primarily to a pair of outdoor stairways in California descending to the northwest from Adelaide Drive in Santa Monica, to Santa Monica Canyon in Los Angeles.
Broadway is a major north–south thoroughfare in Seattle, Washington. The 1.6-mile-long (2.6 km) arterial runs north from Yesler Way at Yesler Terrace through the First Hill and Capitol Hill neighborhoods to East Roy Street. Broadway East continues north to East Highland Drive. North of there the street is made up of shorter segments: one from just south of East Blaine Street to just north of East Miller Street, another from East Roanoke Street to East Shelby Street, and the last from East Allison Street to Fuhrman Avenue East.
Plaza Lafayette is a small, 0.09-acre (0.036 ha) park and surrounding streets in the Hudson Heights neighborhood of Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. Named after the Marquis de Lafayette, the French hero of the American Revolution, the park is roughly trapezoidal in shape, and is bounded by Riverside Drive – originally called Boulevard Lafayette in this area – on the west, the westbound lane of West 181st Street – also called "Plaza Lafayette" here – on the north, the eastbound lane of West 181st Street/Plaza Lafayette on the south, and Haven Avenue on the east. The land was acquired by the city on February 23, 1918.
A step street is a thoroughfare fitted with steps for pedestrian traffic rather than paved or tracked for motor vehicles. It is a practical way of providing access up and down a slope that is too steep for automobiles. Step streets consist of a staircase of stone or concrete steps, often with a handrail on posts down the center, and sometimes lined with trees. Examples can be found in hilly urban areas. Step streets fell out of popularity with urban designers as the use of the automobile increased in cities. In the early 2010s, efforts were made to restore some of these open-air staircases in New York City.
The Moore Stairs, also known as Moore Steps, are a NSW heritage listed public access flight of stairs which connect East Circular Quay with Macquarie Street in Sydney, Australia. Constructed in 1868 of Melbourne bluestone, they were named in honour of the city's mayor Charles Moore, and remain in use.
The Blaine Street Stairs are an outdoor staircase in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, in the United States. Adjacent to the Streissguth Gardens and parallel to the Howe Street Stairs, the staircase has 293 steps.
The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, colloquially known as the Moraga Steps, is a stairway in the Golden Gate Heights neighborhood in San Francisco, California. Fodor's calls it "possibly the world's largest mosaic staircase", and it leads up to Grandview Park. The flight contains 163 steps stretching 90 feet (27 m) high. These steps are also covered in over 2,000 unique tiles from over 75,000 glass fragments.
The East Republican Street Stairway is an outdoor stairway in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. The remaining staircase is a remnant of the Republican Hill Climb, which was completed in February 1910 to connect the Cascade and Capitol Hill neighborhoods. Much of the climb was removed during the 1960s, for the construction of Interstate 5. The remaining stairs have been designated an official city landmark.
