Jimi Hendrix Statue

Seattle’s in the process of planning a permanent home for a proper Jimi Hendrix memorial, near the Northwest African American Museum on South Massachusetts Street. But for now, fans pay their respects at the bronze statue located at the corner of Broadway and Pine Streets in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

The businesses adjacent to the statue have changed over the years—from the headquarters of AEI/DMX Music (whose former CEO commissioned the statue) to local music chain Everyday Music to the most current occupant, Dick Blick Art Materials.  But the statue, which depicts Hendrix in mid-riff, has stood on the corner since its installation in January, 1997.

Sticklers and Hendrix-geeks will notice the strict attention to historical detail given to the statue. Local sculptor Daryl Smith used photographs from the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival as the model. Smith even hand strung the guitar used as a basis for the one played by the statue. Diehards know that the left-handed Hendrix played specially strung right handed guitars, and Smith remained faithful to this particular quirk of the locally-bred guitar god.

Hello Seattle Tip: It’s especially fun to check out the statue at holidays or during the first snow of the season. Residents will usually adorn Jimi with hats, scarves, and other festive gear to reflect the circumstances.

- by Caren Gussoff Sumption, Seattle Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Caren Gussoff Sumption

Caren Gussoff Sumption is a freelance writer and editor from Seattle, WA. She's written for USA Today, the Seattle Times/NW Source, MSN and AOL, and her fiction has been published worldwide. She received her MFA in writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.