Warm Stuff To Do: The Great Seattle Fire In Virtual Reality

The Great Seattle Fire. Image via MOHAI

Lookin’ for stuff to do that doesn’t necessarily include booze or swipin’?

The Seattle Public Library offers up all sorts of things to do, not all of them requiring a book, including Virtual Reality exhibits focusing on Seattle and its history. Starting on February 11th, the downtown Central Library will offer THE GREAT SEATTLE FIRE IN VIRTUAL REALITY  through March 1st.

If you failed Seattle History or weren’t paying attention while taking the famous Underground Tour down in Pioneer Square, a large chunk of what was then 1889 Seattle burnt to the ground in the June 6th disaster that destroyed 64 acres including most of what is now the Pioneer Square neighborhood…for those of you who DO remember taking the Underground tour, you’ll remember hearing that it was because of the fire, that the “new buildings” were built on top of the old foundations.

In the VR recreation, you’ll be a firefighter in 1889 trying to put out the fire with the tools available…futile, yet FUN!

Do they turn the heat up in the room so you’ll “feel” the fire’s fury?

More info on this interesting exhibit that examines just how “flaming” old Seattle could get…

More:

EXPERIENCE THE GREAT SEATTLE FIRE IN VIRTUAL REALITY FEB. 11 TO MARCH 1

            Join us to celebrate The Seattle Public Library’s first Virtual Reality (VR) exhibit at a kickoff event from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 11 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 4, Washington Mutual Foundation Meeting Room 1, 206-386-4636.

            Library events are free and everyone is welcome. Registration is not required. Parking is available at the regular rates.

            Interns from the University of Washington’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) developed the Library’s VR experience exhibit. At this event, they will share about their involvement in the project and show a short film they created.

            In addition to providing opportunities to young adults interested in STEM careers, this project’s goal was to enhance the Library’s Special Collection with a new and immersive form to access information and historical facts.

EXHIBIT INFO

            The Great Seattle Fire in Virtual Reality exhibit will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 11 to Friday, March 1 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 8 Gallery, 206-386-4636. The collection includes images, reports and information about:

• Seattle in 1889
• The destruction caused by the fire
• Personal stories of the fire
• Rebuilding the city
• Creating the Seattle fire department
• Pioneer Square today

VIRTUAL REALITY

            Two VR stations are available for you to experience the fire as a volunteer firefighter. Using the VR headset, you are challenged to help put out the fire using the tools available in 1889. The VR experience immerses you in a realistic depiction of Seattle at the time of the fire, based on historic photographs and documents.

            The Library brings people, information and ideas together to enrich lives and build community. We support universal access to information and ideas, and form strong partnerships with community organizations to offer exhibits that are accessible to all. We accomplish this by finding creative solutions like VR to meet the public’s changing needs and interests.

            For more information, call 206-386-4636 or Ask Us. For ADA accommodations, please contact: leap@spl.org.