Entry No. 23 — the Seattle file — filed under: roadside-oddity

The Fremont Rocket

A 53-foot Cold War-era rocket juts out from the corner of a Fremont building as if mid-launch, bearing the neighborhood's mock coat of arms and its Latin motto 'De Libertas Quirkas' ('Freedom to be Peculiar'). Despite the look, it's not real rocketry: it's a military-surplus tail boom from a Fairchild C-119 'Flying Boxcar' cargo plane that a surplus store once displayed in Belltown. The Fremont Business Association bought it for $750 in 1991 and erected it here on June 3, 1994. A smoke generator in its engine bay lets it puff steam, and neon 'laser pods' line its fins.

The move: Meet at the Center of the Universe signpost a block away, then walk over to the rocket and pick out the rest of the neighborhood's oddball public art on foot.

• 📍 Fremont, Seattle
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: N 35th St & Evanston Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103

Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-24