Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Grounds - Seattle, Washington
Posted by: 
Hikenutty
N 47° 39.213 W 122° 18.463
10T E 551985 N 5278027
The Olmsted Brothers designed the grounds for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, located in Seattle, Washington, in 1909. The centerpiece of the design was a large pond called Geyser Basin.
Waymark Code: WM1634
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 01/27/2007
Views: 118
The grounds of the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific (AYP) Exposition were landscaped by the world renowned Olmsted Brothers on the land that now makes up the University of Washington's main campus. Their plan centered the exposition around a riffling watercourse called The Cascades and a formal pond named Geyser Basin. To the southeast, the design axis offered a commanding view of Mount Rainier. Walks radiated out from the basin, leading to a circle of elaborate buildings and formal gardens. Behind them, more buildings and grounds filled a second ring. Farther out, a perimeter road divided the heart of the expo grounds from a variety of other attractions, including a carnival, a model farm, a livestock exhibit, an amphitheater, and quiet walks in the native woods. Period photos in the gallery show the beauty of their plan. Only 2 buildings and Geyser Basin remain from the AYP Expo.
The basin is actually 2 ponds. The one that you can see (Geyser Basin, and an encircling outer pool hidden under the walk. At one time the center pool provided water for the Harris Hydraulics Laboratory, and the surrounding ring stored water for the power plant.
One fine autumn day in 1909, a group of well-organized university sophomores battled a contingent of bewildered freshmen near Denny Hall. The second-year students captured a number of frosh, then wondered what to do with them. One bright mind thought of Geyser Basin, so the prisoners were marched to the pond and tossed in. A tradition was born and "Geyser Basin" became "Frosh Pond" for all time.
The Basin's formal name was changed to Drumheller Fountain when the University regent, Joseph Drumheller, gifted a center fountain for the pond for the university's centennial celebration in 1961. The fountain has built-in lighting and three banks of jets. The center jet can shoot water to a height of 100 feet, while the two surrounding rings of jets gush water slightly outward from 10 to 30 feet.
While a student at the University of Washington, I had to walk past the fountain daily as it was en route to my studio in Architecture Hall. The fountain was only occasionally turned on at that time and the result was stagnant water filled with goose waste. The organization of the buildings around the pond created a wind corridor and when the fountain was turned on the breeze would coat you with a stinking mist of foul (and fowl)water. Supposedly an overhaul of the fountain several years ago has solved this problem.
Although it no longer has the Olmsted's beautiful Cascades, it still has a view of them - the real Cascades, that is. The view of Mt. Rainier they created was preserved. It is an awe inspiring thing to step out of the University's Red Square on a beautiful day and look down the corridor surrounded by ivy covered buildings, the pond surrounded by rose gardens and the majestic mountain beyond.
Type of Public Space: Originally World Fairgrounds
Architect: John C. Olmsted
Job Number: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
There are no specific visit requirements, however telling about your visit is strongly encouraged. Additional photos of the park to add to the gallery are also nice, but not required. Pictures with a GPS or you in them is highly discouraged.