On a clear day in Seattle—and, yes, there is such a thing—the view from a new 14,000-square-foot plaza to the west of the iconic Pike Place Market is so wide, you have to turn your head to take it all in: the derricks, shipping piers, warehouses, and giant Ferris wheel, bustling Elliott Bay, the islands of Puget Sound, and, in the northwest distance, the white-capped peaks of the Olympic Mountains. Perched on a hill rising steeply from the water, the plaza forms part of the Miller Hull Partnership’s mixed-use expansion of the 110-yearold market, a beloved institution that anchors a vibrant historic district. Completed last spring, MarketFront (as the project is called)—developed by a nonprofit, with the city providing the land and a grant covering about half the funding—forms a crucial node in reconnecting the urban core to its revitalizing waterfront.