Seahawks fans in Seattle celebrate first ever Super Bowl win
Feb 2, 2014, 10:56 PM | Updated: May 15, 2016, 10:58 pm
Seahawks fans climbed to the top of the pergola in Seattle's Pioneer Square after a Super Bowl win Sunday night. Damage to the Pergola is estimated at $25,000. (KIRO Radio/Brandi Kruse)
(KIRO Radio/Brandi Kruse)
Seahawks fans celebrating the Super Bowl victory caused an estimated $25,000 damage to a century-old ornate glass archway called the Pergola in Seattle’s Pioneer Square.
People walking on top of the Pergola broke 20 glass planes, says Parks Department spokeswoman Joelle Hammerstad. Each of the laminated panes must me custom made at a cost of $800 or $900. Hammerstad says climbers also damaged copper flashing, which has to be replaced. The Pergola will also have to be spray-washed and painted to clean up graffiti.
The structure was rebuilt after it was knocked down by a truck in 2001.
In Occidental Park in Pioneer Square, near CenturyLink Field where the Seahawks play, people waving “12th Man” flags took to the street, and others climbed trees and sculptures.
Percussion grenades were set off after midnight and used to disperse the crowd.
Six people were arrested Sunday night.
Seattle Police said on Friday they were prepared for celebrations win or lose.
“I would like to thank the Seattle Police Department for their careful planning and effective execution following Sunday night’s Super Bowl win,” said Mayor Ed Murray on Monday. “Officers worked hard to contain the celebrations and preserve the peace in the city. To be fully prepared, I activated the City’s Emergency Operations Center while the game was in progress. We were pleased to see there was minimal damage and no serious injuries.”
Police say there was a bonfire in the U-District, which Seattle Fire put out. The Seattle Times reported that there was one arrest in the area.
Senayet Woldemarian, a 29-year-old physical therapist from Shoreline, shrieked giddily and waved her Seahawks flag at honking cars on a North Seattle street: “We got our first Super Bowl!”
Her friend, wedding photographer Taylor Olcott, 28, said it reminded her a little of being in Boston in 2004, when the Red Sox won baseball’s World Series for the first time since 1918.
“This is the first time I’ve really seen Seattle passionate about anything,” she said. “It’s, like, East Coast. It’s very exciting.”
About 30 people watched the game at the Outlander Brewery in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood. It was such a blowout that by the fourth quarter, employees had switched one of the three TVs to Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl.”
“We’re all in euphoria right now,” said Steve McVay, a 43-year-old Seattle IT worker. “It’s a huge deal for the city. Since the Sonics, we haven’t won anything.”
John Caro and his wife, Corina, both 59, whooped their way down Lake City Way in North Seattle, high-fiving passersby.
“I was born here, I was raised here! This is my ultimate dream!” Caro shouted. “We have waited so freakin’ long for this!”
With that, they stepped across the street, with Caro waving his gray Seahawks conference championship hat to stop the traffic.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
