Chief Seattle statue at Tilikum Place, Seattle

Statue of Chief Seattle stands at the center of Tilikum Place, honoring the Native American leader for whom the city was named. Created by local sculptor James A. Wehn, the life-size copper statue depicts Chief Seattle with his right arm raised in a gesture of greeting. The figure rests on a stone pedestal originally designed as a fountain, reflecting both the city’s maritime setting and the importance of water in the region’s history.

The monument was commissioned in 1907, though technical problems delayed its completion for several years. It was finally unveiled on November 13, 1912—Founders’ Day—by Myrtle Loughery, a great-great-granddaughter of Chief Seattle. At the time, it was the first commissioned sculpture in the city and only the second piece of public art in Seattle. Over the decades the statue has undergone restoration and conservation work, and it was later added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 and designated a Seattle landmark in 1985.

Facing toward Elliott Bay, the statue continues to serve as a symbolic reminder of Chief Seattle’s role in the region’s early history and his efforts to maintain peaceful relations between Native peoples and the arriving settlers. Today it remains a recognizable landmark within Tilikum Place, linking Seattle’s modern cityscape with its Indigenous heritage and the figure whose name the city bears.