Ivar Feeding the Gulls - Seattle, WA
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member NW_history_buff
N 47° 36.230 W 122° 20.325
10T E 549702 N 5272481
This statue and time capsule is located in front of the famous Ivar's Restaurant & Fish Bar at Pier 54, along Alaskan Way in the Seattle Waterfront District.
Waymark Code: WMG48C
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 01/10/2013
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member lumbricus
Views: 16

Visitors strolling along Seattle's Waterfront might notice a statue of an older man feeding gulls french fries. The statue depicts Ivar Hagland (Wikipedia link), a folksinger and restaurateur who started his first restaurant and fish bar right next to this statue that depicts him. The title of this statue has an underlying meaning. After reading Ivar's bio it was discovered that he had a small rivalry with a fellow pier neighbor who put up signs discouraging people from feeding the gulls because of a health regulation. Ivar took this as a challenge and put up his own signs ENCOURAGING people to feed the gulls! So in many ways, this statue accurately depicts Ivar's persona and most likely what you would find him doing on a typical day, feeding the seagulls.

I also discovered that underneath this statue is a time capsule. There is a description on the bronze chair regarding this time capsule that reads:

IVAR FEEDING
THE GULLS
Many friends of Ivar Haglund, Seattle waterfront folk hero, contributed, in public subscription, to the placement of this sculpture. Their names are recorded in a time capsule under the captain's chair. (followed by a list of names) unsigned Founder's mark appears.

The time capsule is a centennial celebration capsule and filled with rare Ivar's artifacts and predictions for the future by Seattle citizens. The capsule is displayed as a countdown to the restaurant chain's 100-year celebration in 2038. The web link to a picture of the clam-shaped time capsule is here.

This sculpture was created by artist Richard S. Beyer in 1988. (Mr. Beyer passed away April 12, 2012 at 86 years of age). He made over 90 sculptures in his lifetime, his most well-known sculpture being People Waiting For the Interurban which is located in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle.

*THANK YOU* to Indigo Parrish for his permission to use the photo of him being fed by Ivar in order to make this waymark possible!

Location description: In front of Ivar's Restaurant & Fish Bar

Statue's Subject: Ivar Haglund

Artist: Richard S. Beyer

Visit Instructions:
Photo of the statue with person sitting on bench next to the statue, standing next to the statue or other-wise interacting appropriately with the statue(face of person does not need to show, gps does not need to be in photo).
Extra credit for having fun!!!

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Recent Visits/Logs:
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The Pirate King visited Ivar Feeding the Gulls - Seattle, WA 04/23/2024 The Pirate King visited it
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Tubatad visited Ivar Feeding the Gulls - Seattle, WA 09/03/2012 Tubatad visited it
The Snowdog visited Ivar Feeding the Gulls - Seattle, WA 11/15/2011 The Snowdog visited it

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