Pioneer Square | Lively mix of historical, edgy

Safeco and Qwest fields cast shadows from the south. Semis rush by on the viaduct to the west. The train station stands to the east and skyscrapers look down from the north.

Beyond the Alaskan Way Viaduct, orange cranes hover over Elliott Bay with necks outstretched, like dinosaurs peering out to sea.

In other words, Pioneer Square is not the neighborhood in which to shop for a house with a big backyard and a picket fence. Most people who buy in Pioneer Square are singles or couples with no kids, said Pat Gourley, an agent with Windermere Real Estate.

"It's edgy," he said. "You don't see a lot of strollers."

Considering its proximity to the water and downtown, Pioneer Square has seen remarkably few new housing developments, largely because of the neighborhood's status as a historic district.

Out of 172 buildings, 143 are considered as "contributors" to this historic character, and as such are subject to height and other restrictions, said Jennifer Meisner, executive director of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.

The conversion of industrial warehouses into condos is a practice that's become so popular that it inspires developers to adopt pseudo-industrial architecture for new buildings (look closely at Portland's Pearl District), but here, old or retro-new, condos are hard to come by. When one does go on the market, it's often for a pretty penny.

"There are some gorgeous, million-dollar spaces here, but they never become available," Gourley said.

Older buildings are, however, occasionally renovated and resold, the Jackson Square Building condos being a case in point.

The building, which dates to 1902, features the requisite high ceilings and exposed-beam-and-brick interior.

The southernmost unit has two bedrooms, a wrap-around private roof deck and a kitchen fit for a gourmet, replete with the now seemingly obligatory granite countertops, stainless-steel appliances and industrial-strength gas stove.

Still, at $1.25 million, there is no bathtub. Smaller units in the same building are listed at $425,000 and up.

The Nord, another historic building, on First Avenue South, has also been refurbished into condos, with units selling for between $220,000 and $415,000.

And, the market may loosen up a little if the 93-year-old Smith Tower, Seattle's most famous historic building, offers up 150 of its former office spaces to condo dwellers — a project that only recently got a green light from Pioneer Square's Historic Preservation Board.

Despite the hefty price tags of some condos, one need not be wealthy to live in Pioneer Square. Above the OK Hotel are income-restricted apartments that rent for $681 — a fantastic deal if you don't mind watching rush-hour traffic going by on the viaduct outside your window. The Tashiro Kaplan building on Prefontaine Way South offers beautifully refurbished rent-stabilized apartments to artists.

For the truly down on their luck, there's the Bread of Life Mission, which offers 60 bunk beds on the third floor, 23 dorm-style rooms on the second and floor space in the chapel, for men only.

The bunk beds are free for the first two nights and $5 after that, said Keith Orr, who landed at the mission when he first came to Seattle from Tennessee two years ago.

Now, as a full-time employee, he manages the bed assignments and oversees many of the mission's programs.

In two years, Orr hasn't spent much time exploring the neighborhood. "My job is pretty much 24-7," he said. "When I'm not here, I like to ride my bike somewhere. I like to go to Alki."

One of the benefits of living in Pioneer Square is its unique artsy ambience, with kitschy stores for tourists next to high-end galleries across from raucous nightclubs.

Vendors specialize in rare books, Persian rugs and chocolate cookies.

There's a coffee shop for Starbucks loyalists, Zeitgeist for hipster art students and Café Umbria for those who prefer to imagine themselves on a sidewalk in Italy. At night, when the bars come alive, the Italian sidewalk daydream transforms into something akin to Bourbon Street.

"My life is within six blocks, I love it," said Laine Ross, who moved to Seattle from Chicago 19 years ago.

She and her husband bought a condo in the Florentine and opened a gallery near First Avenue South and Yesler Way.

The historic brick architecture was perfect for Ross' business.

"All you need for a studio are fabulous walls," she said.

However, when the gallery became less profitable last year the couple closed the studio, sold the condo and are biding time in a rental until they figure out what to do next.

"We're waiting to see what happens with Seattle and with Pioneer Square," said Ross, alluding to the many changes on the horizon for this area.

Like many Seattle neighborhoods, Pioneer Square is in transition. The fate of the viaduct is uncertain; a mixed-use development may go up in Qwest Field's north parking lot; the underground bus tunnel will soon reopen along with the Yesler Way station, and in the summer of 2009 the station will serve light-rail riders as well.

These and other projects could have an impact on parking, patronage and rent.

Ross isn't the only retailer struggling with uncertainty. At Bud's Jazz Records, business was bustling on a recent Friday evening. A party was under way to celebrate the work of a local photographer. Champagne flowed, a soiree ensued. But this was an exceptional night, unhampered by parking and traffic problems.

"On game days we may as well close up shop," said Jason Rasmussen, the proprietor.

And down the way, Robin's Jewelers is about to close its doors after 35 years.

"Now people come in with a picture of what they want downloaded from the Internet," said the store's co-owner, Ken Davidson. "That's a long way from the old days when we designed it."

Ken and his wife, Barbara, will continue to sell jewelry after the store closes through their Web site.

But if jewels and jazz LPs aren't flying out the door, at least a few of the neighborhood businesses seem to be managing in this modern world of uncertainty.

The ladies working the deli counter at Salumi on Third Avenue South glisten from the daily marathon of assembling roasted pork, Italian meatballs and salami inside chewy baguettes.

"How long is the line?" asks one fatigued sandwich-maker, to no one in particular.

"It's to the door," answers a customer, with a sympathetic grimace.

"Only to the door?" she says, her voice brightening. The revelation is followed by a collective sigh of relief and a renewed sense of good cheer behind the counter.

Good food, purchased in person, is still in high demand in Pioneer Square, and it's got to be the only neighborhood in Seattle where you can get a condo for $1.25 million or a bed for $5.