Fremont Peak Park

Photos taken in June 2018

Fremont Peak Park is a small park in the Upper Fremont neighborhood of Seattle at 4357 Palatine Ave N, near the top of Phinney Ridge at its southern end. On a clear day, the view from here extends to the Olympic Mountains. The park has a very nice design. There are low, concrete walls that provide lots of seating & a good place to rest or eat. I got a sandwich at a nearby deli & ate it there. A small meadow, partially enclosed by low walls, lies at the center of the park. If you'd like to sit on the grass, this space (surrounded by trees) would be great for a picnic (or a nap).  Lots of big trees provide shaded areas even when the westering sun fills the park. 

Until 2001, this was a lot with 3 old houses.  The City of Seattle bought it. Seattle Parks & Recreation had the houses demolished, but kept the trees. A community initiative raised funds to help create the park. New plantings include native species that provide habitat for wildlife, including a Garry Oak (Quercus garryana). There are paths, walkways & stairs. This quiet park has no space for athletic games. You will find a lovely half-acre of landscape & an amazing view.  In a small concrete plaza, stone balls mark the solstices & equinoxes.  These sit near the edge of the slope, where views of land & water spread far & wide. 

Fremont Peak Park was envisioned as a neighborhood ‘walk to’ park, an urban oasis for people in the neighborhood. But I think this park is worth traveling some distance. I came here from 10 miles away & was glad I did. It is the goal of Seattle Parks & Recreation to build, improve & maintain parks throughout the city. Fremont Peak Park was designed by GGLO & Laura Haddad of Haddad|Drugan. The design won awards from the Seattle Design Commission & Americans for the Arts.

Occidental Square Park Seattle

The Weyerhaeuser headquarters, offered for sale in 2020.

The old information kiosk, now gone.

Photos above taken in 2017

Photos above taken in 2018

Occidental Square (117 Washington St) is a city park covering 0.6 acres at the center of  Pioneer Square in Seattle, entirely paved with bricks & concrete pavers.  It was cobbled together when 2 blocks of Occidental Avenue S were closed to vehicular traffic & joined with half a city block behind the Grand Central Building, that had been a parking lot.  That happened in 1971, during the general renovation of Pioneer Square, Seattle's oldest neighborhood.  Dozens of mature shade trees now stand in graveled wells.  The park has 4 monumental sculptures (2 are totem poles) carved from cedar in the northwest coast native style.  A tasteful children's play area was added in 2019.  Construction of a wood & glass pavilion began in June of 2020 & was expected to be completed in Spring 2021.  It will cover a 30-by-90-foot area with a glass canopy supported by timber beams & steel columns. This sleek shelter will have an information center & can be used as an outdoor classroom, stage, or covered seating area. Events, such as a weekly crafts fair, live music, food trucks & art installations are normally scheduled during the summer, when you can also find tables & chairs, ping pong tables & a giant chess set during more quiet times of the week.  The Grand Central Building, a historic building with ground floor retail, opens onto the park.  Facing the park on the opposite side, is an elegant modern building of brick & glass built by the Weyerhaeuser Company as its new headquarters in 2016.  Many shops & restaurants can be found nearby.  Some flank the single block of Occidental Ave, now known as Occidental Mall (between S Main St & S Jackson St) closed to cars, nicely paved in brick & lined with historic buildings.

Witt Winter Garden

Witt Winter Garden February 2013 

Stachyurus praecox at the Witt Winter Garden February 2013

Daphne bohlua 'Jacqueline Postill' at the Witt Winter Garden February 2013 

Cyclamen coum at the Witt Winter Garden February 2013

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena' at the Witt Winter Garden February 2013

The Witt Winter Garden is located at the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle, a short walk from the the Graham Visitors Center.  It can also be reached by crossing the Wilcox Footbridge over Lake Washington Boulevard E from the end of E Lynn Street in the Montlake neighborhood.  This is my favorite approach to one of the gardens I love best.  The Witt Winter Garden features a central lawn surrounded by large native conifers & an assortment of smaller trees, shrubs & perennials with winter interest. Many of the flowers are fragrant. The best time for flowers is late January & early February when the Hamamelis (witch-hazel) are in bloom.  The air can be filled with their fragrance on a warm & sunny winter day. I love this odor more than any other. The fragrance of Sarcococca (sweet box) is also pleasing & pervasive. Acer griseum (paper-bark maple) Betula albo-sinensis (Chinese red birch) Camellia, Cornus stolonifera (red-twig dogwood) Corylus (hazel) Corylopsis (winter-hazel) Cyclamen, Daphne, Helleborus, Garrya issaquahensis (silk-tassel) Mahonia, Rhododendron & Salix (willow) stand out among many other plants.  One thing I dislike about the garden is the lawn.  It is soggy & muddy in the winter.  Don't walk on it. There are plenty of paths around it & between the various beds. The winter garden was originally designed & planted in 1949. It was redesigned & named for Joseph A. Witt Winter Garden in 1987, then renovated in 2010. The renovation added Acer tegmentosum ‘Joe Witt’ (Manchurian snake-bark maple).

Wilcox Footbridge at the Washington Park Arboretum February 2013

Green Lake Park

Grand entrance to Green Lake Park March 2013

Green Lake March 2013

Green Lake March 2013

Mallards on Green Lake March 2013

Green Lake Park March 2013

Green Lake Park is probably the most popular place to walk in Seattle. Green Lake is surrounded by a 2.8 mile path. The path consists of an inner unpaved trail and an outer asphalt path with two lanes, one for pedestrians and one for bicycles and roller skates. The inner pedestrian lane is bidirectional, while the outer wheeled path is unidirectional, counterclockwise. There is also an outer unpaved 3.2 mile path along the edge of the park.

Green Lake has a surface area of 259 acres and a maximum depth of 30 feet. It has been dredged to maintain that depth. The lake lacks both inflow and outflow. It once drained into Lake Washington via Ravenna Creek.  But in 1911, the water level was lowered by 7 feet to create parkland in accordance with the Olmsted plan, causing the creek to dry up. Ravenna Boulevard was constructed over the creek bed. The lake is now fed by rainfall, storm runoff, and Seattle's municipal water supply.  There is a continuing problem with algal bloom, when the lake is closed to swimming and wading.

The bathhouse, built in 1927, is now home to the Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse. Across the lake from the bathhouse, in the northeast part of the park, the community center was built in 1929. It contains two conference rooms, a gym with showers and bathrooms, and a stage. Tennis courts were added in 1945, then Evans Pool in 1955.

The Green Lake Aqua Theater was built for the first Seafair in 1950 for the Aqua Follies, which continued to run during Seafair until 1965. In the summer of 1962, coinciding with the Century 21 Exposition, the Aqua Theater saw its greatest amount of use. After 1965, it was mostly abandoned, then partially demolished in 1970.  It makes an impressive ruin. The southwest corner of the park, near the Aqua Theater, connects to Woodland Park.

In the summer, Green Lake is popular for swimming and boating. Motorized boats are not allowed. The Milk Carton Derby is held annually on the lake as one of the opening events of Seafair. The Green Lake Small Craft Center, a Seattle Parks facility, is located on the south end of the lake. It houses both Green Lake Crew and the Seattle Canoe and Kayak Club.

Within the lake is a small artificial island called Duck Island. It was built by the WPA in 1936 as a wildlife sanctuary.  It is off-limits to people.

This information is from Wikipedia.

Union Bay Natural Area

Union Bay Natural Area January 2013

The University of Washington from the Union Bay Natural Area January 2013

The shore of Lake Washington at the Union Bay Natural Area October 2011

Pond at the Union Bay Natural Area October 2011

Union Bay Natural Area December 2013

The Union Bay Natural Area is located near the University of Washington in Seattle.  It consists of marshy terrain on the shore of Lake Washington at Union Bay.  It covers 74 acres with 4 miles of shoreline.  It is the second largest natural system left on Lake Washington, the largest lake in western Washington.  Bird watching is particularly good here.  A wide & level trail can be accessed from the Center for Urban Horticulture on NE 41st Street.  I think this is an excellent place to visit during freezing weather, when the ponds are covered with ice & the rocky lake shore becomes partly frozen.  In summer, you can see Western Painted Turtles basking on logs in the water.

McGilvra Place

Bullitt Center in January 2014

 McGilvra Place in January 2014.  The trees are Platanus acerifolia (London Plane).

McGilvra Place in January 2014

Here you can see where they cut through the original retaining wall.

Here is a bioswale in front of the Bullitt Center where 15th Avenue used to exist.  All photos were taken in January 2014.

McGilvra Place is a small, tree-shaded triangle at the intersection of E Madison Street, E Pike Street & 15th Avenue.  McGilvra Place was created in 1901. The small triangle of land was named after John J McGilvra, whose home was on Lake Washington at the end of the road which became E Madison Street.  McGilvra Place was redeveloped in the spring of 2013.  The original park was lawn above a low concrete retaining wall, with 11 London Plane Trees (Platanus acerifolia) between the curbs & sidewalks.  The small stretch of 15th Avenue was closed to traffic & integrated into the existing park with paving & planting, partly as a bioswale.  Cuts were made in the retaining wall to allow stairs & a path through the center of the park.  Lawn was replaced with native plants.  Benches were set in place.

The Bullitt Center had been completed next to McGilvra Place in April 2012.  The Bullitt Center was designed to be the greenest commercial building in the world, energy & carbon neutral, with a water & sewage processing system that allowed the building to be independent of municipal water & sewage systems. Energy neutrality was achieved with a large solar panel array on the roof of the building, along with energy conservation measures that cut the building's energy consumption to approximately a third of a typical office building of similar size.

During the redevelopment of McGilvra Place, great care was taken to protect and celebrate eleven century-old London Plane trees on the site. Other improvements include transforming an adjacent street to a public plaza, replacing turf with native vegetation, installing park furniture made of reclaimed timber, and providing improved accessibility to the site. Construction began in February 2013 and was completed in April 2013. - See more at: http://www.bullittcenter.org/field/mcgilvra-place/#sthash.QF1I0Hh3.dpuf

During the redevelopment of McGilvra Place, great care was taken to protect and celebrate eleven century-old London Plane trees on the site. Other improvements include transforming an adjacent street to a public plaza, replacing turf with native vegetation, installing park furniture made of reclaimed timber, and providing improved accessibility to the site. Construction began in February 2013 and was completed in April 2013.
The project was undertaken through a public / private collaboration between Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Parks Foundation and the Bullitt Foundation.
- See more at: http://www.bullittcenter.org/field/mcgilvra-place/#sthash.QF1I0Hh3.dpuf

 

During the redevelopment of McGilvra Place, great care was taken to protect and celebrate eleven century-old London Plane trees on the site. Other improvements include transforming an adjacent street to a public plaza, replacing turf with native vegetation, installing park furniture made of reclaimed timber, and providing improved accessibility to the site. Construction began in February 2013 and was completed in April 2013.
The project was undertaken through a public / private collaboration between Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Parks Foundation and the Bullitt Foundation.
- See more at: http://www.bullittcenter.org/field/mcgilvra-place/#sthash.QF1I0Hh3.dpuf

During the redevelopment of McGilvra Place, great care was taken to protect and celebrate eleven century-old London Plane trees on the site. Other improvements include transforming an adjacent street to a public plaza, replacing turf with native vegetation, installing park furniture made of reclaimed timber, and providing improved accessibility to the site. Construction began in February 2013 and was completed in April 2013.
The project was undertaken through a public / private collaboration between Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Parks Foundation and the Bullitt Foundation.
- See more at: http://www.bullittcenter.org/field/mcgilvra-place/#sthash.QF1I0Hh3.dpuf

During the redevelopment of McGilvra Place, great care was taken to protect and celebrate eleven century-old London Plane trees on the site. Other improvements include transforming an adjacent street to a public plaza, replacing turf with native vegetation, installing park furniture made of reclaimed timber, and providing improved accessibility to the site. Construction began in February 2013 and was completed in April 2013.
The project was undertaken through a public / private collaboration between Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Parks Foundation and the Bullitt Foundation.
- See more at: http://www.bullittcenter.org/field/mcgilvra-place/#sthash.QF1I0Hh3.dpuf

Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park October 2011

Lincoln Park October 2011

Lincoln Park October 2011

Lincoln Park October 2011

Arbutus menziesii (Madrona) in Lincoln Park October 2011

Lincoln Park is probably the most popular park in West Seattle.  It is one of the largest in Seattle at 135 acres.  It has a number of attractions including trails, picnic shelters, playing fields, views of Puget Sound, the Colman Pool & a long beach.  There are a number of old growth Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) at the top of the bluff in a park-like setting.  The most natural part of the park is the bluff, with fine specimens of Madrona (Arbutus menziesii) & the thin strip of beach with many large driftwood logs.  Unfortunately, the wide path between the bottom of the bluff & the beach, is paved in asphalt.  Lincoln Park is an interesting mix of nature & human development.  The most quirky elements are the Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) groves in the upper area of the park.  Why were these trees planted & why so many?  Lincoln Park is located next to the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal in the neighborhood of Fauntleroy.  The small Fauntleroy business district, with a few restaurants, is nearby. 

Brighton Playfield

Brighton Playfield/Playground in October 2013

Brighton Playfield is a fairly large park with more terrain & changes in elevation than you would expect from a playfield.  It covers more than 12 acres including a tennis court, basketball courts, restrooms, a playground & a large playfield.  It is attached to Aki Kurose Middle School.  This very pleasant space is often used by people in the Brighton neighborhood as a place to walk.   It is located at 6000 39th Avenue S in the Rainier Valley.  

English immigrants who purchased lots here in the 1880s named the neighborhood for a resort town in England.  The City of Seattle annexed the area in 1907. The Olmsted Brothers architectural firm recommended a park for the Brighton neighborhood in 1908.  In 1911, the residents of Brighton petitioned the Parks Board for a playfield. A series of bond issues resulted in the purchase of the Brighton Playfield in 1913. For 20 years, the playfield site was used as a construction camp for street graders, for gardens, and as a garbage dump. Development of the park began in 1930. In 1948, the Seattle School Board selected a site south of the Brighton Playfield for a junior high school. Part of the Olmsted Plan was for schools to be sited next to playfields to provide recreation for students. This information comes from Seattle Neighborhoods: Brighton Beach at HistoryLink.org.
 

Lakewood Playground

Lakewood Playground in September 2013

The charm of the Lakewood Playground lies in its small scale in a quiet neighborhood in southeast Seattle.  It has the appearance of a village green, surrounded by attractive homes in this prosperous area on the shore of Lake Washington.  Lakewood is unfamiliar to many people even in Seattle, or is thought to be a part of the Seward Park neighborhood, which it borders to the north.  The park covers 2 acres with a play area, restrooms, soccer & baseball/softball fields.  It is located at 5013 S Angeline Street.  Angeline Street was named after Princess Angeline, the daughter of Chief Seattle.  She was born nearby in a longhouse of the Duwamish Tribe on Lake Washington.

Lakewood was originally a peninsula on the western shore of Lake Washington, formed by a long inlet called Wetmore Slough (the present location of Genesee Park) that extended more than half a mile south from the lake & turned west toward Columbia City.  The thick forest provided the cedar trees that the Duwamish used for their longhouses, but the tribe does not appear to have established a permanent camp here. During summer months, families erected shelters woven from cattails on the shore of the lake where they caught fish and dug roots. During the winter, they lived in elaborate longhouses on Pritchard Island, not far to the south.  Not until a bridge carried Lake Washington Boulevard S across the mouth of the slough in 1912 & a trolley line opened on S Genesee Street did the community gain good communication with the rest of the city.  This information comes from Seattle Neighborhoods: Lakewood at HistoryLink.org.