Volunteer Park - Seattle, WA
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member NW_history_buff
N 47° 37.911 W 122° 18.944
10T E 551405 N 5275609
Volunteer Park was formerly a cemetery and later converted into a park and renamed in 1901 as a tribute to veterans of the Spanish-American War.
Waymark Code: WMWMZJ
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 09/19/2017
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member DougK
Views: 4

Volunteer Park was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 as a Historic District. The park was formally designed by the Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architecture Firm from the years 1904-1912. The following verbiage is taken from the Seattle Parks and Rec website to describe its history:

In 1876 the City purchased 40 acres for $2,000 from a sawmill engineer, J. M. Colman (Colman Park) without specifying purpose other than "municipal."

Ordinance 642 in 1885 defined the purpose as "Washelli Cemetery" but two years later it was changed to "Lake View Park" and gravesites were ordered removed. By 1893, the Department had cleared about six acres of timber and planted a nursery supplemented with a greenhouse and hotbed.

Between 1887 and 1904 the park was improved with paths, lawns, beds of flowers, settees and tables for picnickers, and children's swings, together with native growth, the only greenhouse in the system, and the high pressure reservoir. 1904-1909 the Olmsted Brothers prepared formal plans - gardens system of macadam drives, lily ponds, children's wading pool and shelter, combination pergola, music pavilion and comfort station, and conservatory building - all completed by 1912.

Name: Volunteer Park

Street Location: 1247 15th Ave. E

Local Municipality: Seattle Parks & Rec

State/Province, etc.: Washington

Country: United States

Web Site: [Web Link]

Memorial/Commemoration: Volunteer Park Spanish-American War memorial (for which this park derives its name); statue of William Henry Seward in front of the Volunteer Park Observatory; Thomas Burke Memorial

Date Established: c. 1887

Recreational Facilities:
Children's playground


Monuments/Statues: Volunteer Park Spanish-American War memorial

Art (murals/sculpture, etc.): Black Hole Sun sculpture by Noguchi

Ponds/Lakes/Streams/Rivers/Beach: Koi Ponds

Picnic Facilities: Not listed

Fountains: Not listed

Special Events: Not listed

Traditional Geocaches: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
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Recent Visits/Logs:
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