Seattle's Gum Wall Is Getting Scrubbed, Making Room for a 'Clean Canvas'
The estimated 1 million pieces of gum will take about three days to be removed.
— -- A popular Seattle tourist attraction is getting itself out of a sticky situation.
For the first time in 20 years, the Pike Place Market is scrubbing its famous Gum Wall, beginning next Tuesday, Emily Crawford, spokeswoman for the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority, told ABC News today, allowing for a "clean canvas" for visitors to cover.
"Basically, it's time," Crawford said, adding that the sugar in the gum can compromise the bricks. "We've never completely scrubbed the whole thing; only spot cleaned sections where the gum has migrated past the wall."
The Gum Wall, which was started in the early ‘90s by patrons lining up outside of Market Theater for an improv show, will take about three days to clean, Crawford said. The estimated million pieces of gum, which Crawford said is a "conservative" estimate, will be completely scrubbed off.
To celebrate the Gum Wall with people around the world, the Pike Place Market launched a contest encouraging people to submit photos they've taken of the wall for a chance to have their name engraved on a steel Market Charm and win two passes to the Market Theater's improv show.
Stacy deBruyn, a native of Seattle who loves the wall for its "quirkiness" and "creativity," entered the contest with a photo she took earlier this year of the word "beautiful" written in gum, she told ABC News today.
"It caught my attention because I strongly believe there is always beauty around us even in the mess," deBruyn said. "I looked at my friend and said, 'I guess beauty is in the eye, or mouth, of the beholder.'"
Emily Waters also entered the contest with a photo of herself taking pictures of the wall from when she visited two years ago for the fist time.
"I think the Gum Wall is a really unique spot because the city allowed people for decades to do something that most places would clean up," she said.
Market spokeswoman Crawford added: "There's a fun spirit behind it and it's surprising to people when they come visit."
Once the cleaning is finished, Crawford said visitors are welcome to redecorate the "unplanned and spontaneous work of public art" with fresh pieces of gum.