HistoryLink Tours

Now an open-air light rail station, the International District/Chinatown Station was originally a stop in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT), which started construction in 1987 and opened three years later. Metro Transit designed and built the tunnel with future light rail in mind, but also to relieve bus traffic downtown. In 2005, Sound Transit retrofitted the tunnel for light rail, and from 2009 to 2019, buses and light rail shared the tunnel and the stop.

Because the station is in between Pioneer Square and the Chinatown International District, review groups in both neighborhoods weighed in on the station’s design. The DSTT was an important moment for public art in the Seattle area, with artists collaborating closely with engineers and station designers to create a culturally relevant public space.

Please take the tour to learn about the public art located in the station and then click this link to take a survey on public art and public space activation at the Jackson Hub.