Seattle to replace aging cherry trees next to Pike Place Market

After a debate over their preservation, eight aging cherry blossom trees will be removed from the street near the entrance of Pike Place Market next week and replaced with younger trees in honor of the city’s ties to Japanese culture.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced that plan Friday after meeting with members of the local chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League and Save The Market Entrance, the Pike Place Market preservation group.

“Cherry blossom trees are more than a symbol — they invoke heartfelt feelings and represent decades of history — both the good and the bad — as part of our city’s deep connection to Japan,” Harrell said in a statement Friday. “My own understanding of this is rooted in the experiences of my Japanese American family, who were incarcerated at an internment camp at Minidoka [Idaho], and their reverence for these trees and their magnificent bloom.”

The city will plant 16 additional cherry blossom trees in a location to be determined; one potential site is the parkland being developed as part of the waterfront’s transformation.

The 40-year-old trees were scheduled to be removed from Pike Street this week as a part of a pedestrian- and cyclist-centric redesign of the Pike-Pine corridor that leads to the market and the city’s waterfront. They were to be replaced by elm hybrids.

Harrell postponed the removal at the last minute after an outpouring of community support.

This week, the mayor’s office met twice with representatives of Save The Market Entrance and the Seattle chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League, both of which opposed the removal, before deciding to replace the trees.

Save The Market Entrance President Ruth Danner said that she is “deeply saddened” that the trees will be removed, but appreciates Harrell’s effort to compromise.

“These are not just any trees. They were planted on Pike Street in 1980 to gracefully frame the entrance at the time when Pike Place Market itself was saved from demolition,” Danner wrote in a statement Friday. “The trees have served as sentries and witness to the racist treatment of the Japanese Americans who were the overwhelming majority of farmers and vendors at The Market prior to World War II.

“We are very grateful, however, that Mayor Harrell listened to our concerns about preserving the historic and cultural relevance those trees represented, and we are thrilled that there will be a plaque and other information that teaches visitors about this history,” Danner added.

League co-president Kyle Kinoshita said he felt “listened to” by Harrell, whose mother was held at a Japanese incarceration camp as a child.

“He said that he heard us loud and clear,” Kinoshita said Friday, expressing his “deep appreciation” for Harrell’s engagement.

“What’s important to me is the symbolism of the Japanese cherry tree, and if they’re going to continue that, they’ve done their due diligence,” Kinoshita added.

A spokesperson for the city said Friday there are plans to save some wood from the existing trees, but no specific repurposing plans have been made.