New Holly Youth & Family Community Garden

 New Holly Youth & Family Community Garden in August 2013

The New Holly Youth & Family Community Garden is another charming garden located in the City of Seattle Power Line Right of Way on land owned by Seattle City Light adjacent to the Chief Sealth Trail.  The New Holly Power Garden is located not far to the south.  This is a very well-sited, well-designed & well-tended garden of 50 plots on 5,000 square feet.  I found the gardeners very friendly when I visited this place.  They are clearly very happy to garden here.  The garden was established in 1999, rebuilt in 2006 & expanded in 2011.

New Holly Power Garden

 New Holly Power Garden in August 2013

The New Holly Power Garden is located in the New Holly development on Beacon Hill in Seattle.  This charming & well-established garden sits in the City of Seattle Power Line Right of Way on land owned by Seattle City Light.  The Chief Sealth Trail passes by on its way to other community gardens, including the New Holly Youth & Family Community Garden, not far to the north.  I like this vibrant & slightly chaotic garden very much.  There is almost a rural feel to the site.  It is an excellent use of land under power lines.  There are 28 plots on 12,000 square feet.  The garden was established in 2003.

Jefferson Park

Jefferson Park February 2013. Jefferson Skatepark with Downtown Seattle skyline.

Jefferson Park February 2013. Skatepark, driving range & the Jefferson Park Golf Course.

Jefferson Park February 2013. Solar Picnic Shelter with solar panels rooftops were constructed by Seattle City Light.  

The playing field is used mostly for soccer & kirikiti (Samoan cricket).

Jefferson Park February 2013. View of Beacon Hill, Puget Sound & the Olympic Mountains.

Jefferson Park February 2013. Storm water retention pond.

Jefferson Park is the 6th largest park in the City of Seattle, covering 52 acres, including the golf course. It is located on Beacon Hill, at about 320 feet above sea level.  This is not the highest point in Seattle, but the views of the Olympic Mountains & Puget Sound from here are spectacular.  The park is adjacent to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

The City of Seattle purchased this land in 1898 for a reservoir & cemetery that were later sited elsewhere. The City named the park to honor Thomas Jefferson in 1908. The Jefferson Park Golf Course, Seattle’s oldest municipal golf course, opened for play in 1915. The area occupied by the golf course & adjacent park was part of the original Seattle park master plan developed by the Olmsted Brothers in 1903.  The golf course & the park roadway on the west side were built as planned. The northwest portion of the park site was transferred to the Water Department in 1935 for construction of a reservoir. The unused portion of the Water Department site was developed into a playground by permit with Seattle Parks and Recreation. During World War II, Jefferson Park contained anti-aircraft batteries, a military recreation center & tent housing for soldiers. The lawn bowling green was constructed in 1944.  It has been operated by the Jefferson Park Lawn Bowling Club under an agreement with Seattle Parks since 1945.

In the late 1990s, planning & design for more park improvements began. Seattle Public Utilities decommissioned the north reservoir & reconstructed the south reservoir as a buried reservoir with a hard cover. The 2000 Pro Parks Levy provided funding for improvements to the park. The new play area & tennis courts opened in 2010. The 2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy funded additional improvements, including the Jefferson Park Skatepark, solar picnic shelters & the Jefferson Park Playfield, which opened in 2012.  Beacon Mountain, an ecologically oriented play area, opened in 2013.

New Holly 29th Avenue Garden

New Holly 29th Avenue Garden August 2013

The New Holly 29th Avenue Garden is my favorite garden in the New Holly Development at the south end Rainier Valley of Seattle.  It was in sharp contrast to the very nearby & superficially similar New Holly Lucky Garden, which was quite a mess when I saw it in August 2013.  The New Holly 29th Avenue Garden was beautifully maintained.  I lived near New Holly from April to September of 2013.  The New Holly 29th Avenue Garden is located at 29th Avenue S & S Brighton Street.  It covers 2,000 square feet with 11 plots that each measures 100 square feet.  The land is owned by the Seattle Housing Authority.  This garden was established in 2001.  New Holly (formerly Holly Park) was the first of the large Seattle Housing Authority properties to be redeveloped. 

New Holly Lucky Garden

Veggie on a stick?

 

New Holly Lucky Garden August 2013

The New Holly Lucky Garden is my least favorite garden in the New Holly Development at the south end Rainier Valley of Seattle.  It was in sharp contrast to the very nearby & superficially similar New Holly 29th Avenue Garden, which was beautifully maintained when I saw it in August 2013.  The New Holly Lucky Garden appeared to be down on its luck.  Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus armeniacus), considered a noxious weed in Washington, covered neglected compost bins & the veggie on a stick art project had gone to ruin.  I lived near New Holly from April to September of 2013.  The New Holly Lucky Garden is located at S Holly Street & Shaffer Avenue S.  It covers 2,000 square feet with 9 plots that each measures 100 square feet.  The land is owned by the Seattle Housing Authority.  This garden was established in 2001.  New Holly (formerly Holly Park) was the first of the large Seattle Housing Authority properties to be redeveloped.