Big Catch Plaza in 2003

Big Catch Plaza was created as the result of the State Department of Transportation realignment 7th Place S. and S. 219th St. in the 1990s. Dedicated in 1994 the Big Catch statue is based upon a story of a beautiful maiden who was turned into a fish. After a kiss from the fisherman, she turns back into a maiden. The statue with a fisherman holding and kissing a voluptuous fish was a very controversial item when it was unveiled to the public. The statue was created by noted Seattle artist Richard Beyer.

To the north is "The Minnow" a boat reflecting the maritime nature of the city. The boat brightens this corner of the city when it is seasonally planted with flowers. This was the former site of the second church in Des Moines (Christian Science). To the east side of Marine View Drive is a triangle leveled and planted over the former 7th Pl. S., once bricked with the same bricks as Des Moines Way. In 1978 it was a mud hole whose renovation became an Eagle Scout project in conjunction with the City Public Works Department leading to the log lined landscaped spot accented with juniper bushes.