You know that stairway on North 40th and Fremont Ave. near B.F. Day Elementary? The one you probably walk past without a second thought?
Go take a look at it now.
After a few solid weeks of Seattle rain, something pretty cool happens. Moss starts filling in shallow grooves carved into the concrete landing at the base of the stairs, and suddenly drawings appear: local sites, animals, quirky little figures.
For a few months each winter, this functional neighborhood stairway turns into an accidental art show.
A bronze plaque tucked near the stairs tells part of the story. “The Stairway in Fremont Project” was created in 1980, funded through the Seattle Engineering Department and administered by the Seattle Arts Commission. Four artists worked on it: Ann Gardner, David Ostler, Steven Roth, and Michael Sweeney.
Because it came through engineering rather than a neighborhood arts program, there’s not much documentation floating around. But what’s clear is that someone decided infrastructure could be art too, not just something slapped on afterward for decoration.
While the official project dates to 1980, some of the drawings look like they came later. The more literal images – stick figures, simple animals, names scratched with care – feel like they might’ve been added by kids from B.F. Day over the years. There’s something charming about that… the original artists made space, and the neighborhood kept adding to it.
SDOT gave the stairway some love in late 2021 and early 2022 with new benches and cleaned railings. The Fremont Chamber of Commerce chipped in with a COVID recovery grant for bulbs and mulch, so the space feels a little more cared for these days.
Still, it’s easy to miss. But right now? It’s worth the walk.