The ongoing #ManInTree drama probably left you asking a lot of questions...
Who is he? Why did he climb up the tree? Why THAT tree? Why hasn't he come back down reasonable soon thereafter? Does he really just want some cigarettes? Hey wait a minute, why is there an 80-foot sequoia tree in the middle of Downtown Seattle?
We can't answer the rest but we think we've got some answers on that last one.
Originally located at Mercer Street and Aurora Avenue, the sequoia was moved to it's current location as part of the Fourth Avenue Stewart Street Triangle Improvement plan funded by Seattle businessman John Jewett. This was in 1973 and at the time the tree stood 35 feet tall. Some thought the tree wouldn't survive the replanting but it did. It even survived after losing ten feet off it's top in 2010.
Here's the tree in 2005 in happier times:
Here's a wide shot of the tree and it's surroundings from 2012:
And here's a close-up for some perspective.
Hopefully the tree can come back from the damage caused by #ManInTree, but he certainly did a number on it.
· Man in Seattle tree: How long has tree been there? [KIRO]
· All #ManInTree coverage [CS]