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11th and Pine had a communal piano for a week — Now it’s gone

As the City of Seattle looks to permanently incorporate some of the art and energy of CHOP in Cal Anderson, one element that appeared in the area after the protest camp faded has gone missing: a communal piano.

The piano, situated in front of the southeast entrance of Bobby Morris Playfield, was reportedly purchased for $22 from 11th and Pike’s Out of the Closet thrift store and then placed on the street corner for public use, according to local resident Teri McClain who first came across it on July 30.

“I bought a piano for the city and someone FIXED IT! A full 88 keys functioning on 11th and Pine,” the reported “owner” of the large musical instrument known as Sundae tweeted.

McClain told CHS she thinks the piano was a positive asset to the community, allowing her to connect with strangers and support them with pizza and chocolate as they played. 

“I met four people just because that piano was there and then it allowed me to do what I like to do which is give,” she said.

Rodney McAllister was one of the folks she met by the piano, as he drummed on the top of it and sang while another played. McAllister said he stumbled upon it while searching for protests in the area. “It was just more organic than anything else,” he told CHS, adding that “it brought people together.”

After about a week of jam sessions among community members, including Sundae playing the piano or an accompanying trumpet, it disappeared. “Pls do not harm or remove this piano it has a tiny piece of my soul in it,” Sundae tweeted just days before it was gone.

Sundae reported the piano missing on Tuesday, and others have been tagging Seattle Parks and Recreation on Twitter to determine its whereabouts. As the City of Seattle launches a process to “memorialize” CHOP with art and other permanent features, McClain said she wonders whether a piano like this could be included in the mix.

McAllister says he wasn’t surprised the piano went missing, since he was under the impression that someone other than Sundae purchased it and had planned to move it elsewhere to busk, although he thinks it could have been a group purchase. In fact, McAllister said he frequents the area often and noticed that before it completely disappeared, the piano’s stool and top that leaned against it were taken.

“Whoever did something to that piano did it in phases, they didn’t do it at one time which leads me to believe that whoever bought it didn’t have the means to get rid of it or didn’t care that it was being taken,” he said.

CHS wasn’t immediately able to reach Sundae for comment and the piano’s current location has yet to be confirmed, although McClain heard it might be sitting somewhere on E Republican. In the meantime, Sundae will stick to playing the trumpet.

“I hope the city of Seattle is ready for 24/7 trumpeting because that’s all I have now,” Sundae wrote on Tuesday.

 

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8 Comments
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Kol
Kol
3 years ago

I think it was used for a bonfire last night. I was walking by and saw the fire and the charred remains of something that might have been a piano but I’m not positive.

Rock Hushka
Rock Hushka
3 years ago

I’m odd to see that the camping has returned to the park. Isn’t the park was still closed to the public….

RWK
RWK
3 years ago
Reply to  Rock Hushka

It’s not odd, it’s illegal. But these days the homeless know that the city has a moratorium on doing anything about it, and this might become permanent now that the Navigation Team has been defunded…..nice going City Council, you have now invited hundreds more homeless people to Seattle!

AG
AG
3 years ago

Just drove by Cask & Trotter in SLU and the piano appears to have relocated there

bjboogie
bjboogie
3 years ago

Unfortunately pianos don’t do well outdoors. Pianos in the Parks has done a wonderful thing in recent years putting old pianos outdoors for a few weeks in the summer under tents but come the fall they’re doomed. They can’t get wet or they’re ruined. Still nice to have one outdoors if only for a short sunny time. And considering the vandalism of Cal Anderson associated with CHOP you can’t really expect anything decent to last for long there can you.

Rodney McAllister
3 years ago

@swaggerbrand1 You’ll find more interesting footage.

CD Neighbor
CD Neighbor
3 years ago

Am I reading this wrong or was there a trumpet there too for public use – ewwww no, just no…. and doubly no with COVID around – not even if you ran a gallon of hand sanitizer through it no…..

Mimi
Mimi
3 years ago

I think the neighbors have had enough and didn’t need to hear people banging on a piano at all hours.