Westlake Park (Seattle)

Public plaza in Downtown Seattle

Westlake Park

Westlake Park in 2006

Type| Urban park and Plaza
Location| Seattle, Washington
Coordinates| 47°36′40″N 122°20′13″W﻿ / ﻿47.61111°N 122.33694°W﻿ / 47.61111; -122.33694
Area| 0.1 acres (400 m2)
Established| October 1988; 36 years ago (1988-10)
Designer| Robert Mitchell Hanna
Operated by| Seattle Parks and Recreation
Carousel at Westlake Park during the holiday season Shuffleboard and seating area

Westlake Park is a 0.1-acre (400 m2) public plaza in Downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. It was designed by Robert Mitchell Hanna.[1][2]

## Description

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Extending east from 4th Avenue up to and including a former portion of Westlake Avenue between Pike and Pine streets, it is located across Pine Street from the Westlake Center shopping mall and Westlake station, a major monorail and light rail hub. The park and mall are named for Westlake Avenue, which now terminates north of the mall, but once ran two blocks farther south to Pike Street through the present site of the mall and park. Westlake Park is considered Seattle's "town square",[3] and celebrities and political figures often make appearances or give speeches from the four-story shopping center's balcony.[4][5]

## History

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The city first proposed a pedestrian mall in 1959 between Pike and Stewart Streets.[6] The southernmost block of Westlake Avenue (between Pike and Pine) was closed to traffic in the early 1960s to construct the original southern terminus of the Monorail. This arrangement continued from the time the Monorail opened in 1962 (in conjunction with the Century 21 Exposition) until the construction of the current mall and park.[7][8]

Building Westlake Park, c. 1987

The current park and mall were proposed by the Central Association (now Downtown Seattle Association) in 1968; they took 20 years to come to fruition. Multiple lawsuits were filed throughout this time and continued after the park's opening in October 1988.[9][6] The project was marred by a design flaw, the so-called "Nightmare on Pine Street",[10] that resulted in cracked granite pavers along Pine Street and into the intersection with Fourth Avenue. The city sued the designer and won an out-of-court settlement of $515,000, enough to cover the $472,000 repair and nearly equal to the cost of the original installation.[10] Repairs began in June 1989.[11][12]

After the pavers were repaired and the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel was completed in 1990, Seattle City Council decided to keep Pine Street closed to through traffic,[6] making it effectively part of the park, and tying the park to the open area on the south side of the mall. However, Seattle citizens voted in 1995 to reopen the street, as part of a deal under which Nordstrom took over the flagship store of the former Frederick & Nelson department store chain, a city landmark half a block from the park.[13] In the mid-1990s Westlake Park was the site of a string of guerrilla art pranks led by Jason Sprinkle and the Fabricators of the Attachment, culminating in an infamous bomb scare incident that closed off several downtown blocks.[14]

Adjacent to the southernmost portion of the park is the Seaboard Building, another designated Seattle landmark. This 1909 headquarters of the Northern Bank & Trust Co. was one of the first major commercial buildings this far north in the downtown area. The ground floor is commercial space, Floors 2 through 6 are offices, and Floors 7 through the 11th floor penthouse are now Condominium apartments.[15][16] Diagonally across from the park at 4th and Pine, until its closure in February 2020, was a Macy's department store—another designated landmark building, having once been the flagship store of The Bon Marché chain.

## References

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1. ^ Saxon, Wolfgang (March 15, 2003). "R. M. Hanna, 67, Architect Of Open Spaces in Cities". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
2. ^ An Open Space Tested, Landscape Architecture, April 2000. Accessed online May 16, 2000
3. ^ Downtown Parks Renaissance[usurped], Seattle Downtown Parks & Public Spaces Task Force Report, March 16, 2006. Accessed online March 27, 2008.
4. ^ "King County Executive Ron Sims' National Day of Prayer and Remembranc…". archive.ph. July 1, 2007. Archived from the original on August 29, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
5. ^ Kevin Pelton, Storm Celebrates in Style, storm.wnba.com, October 16, 2004. Accessed online March 27, 2008.
6. ^ a b c "Westlake: Where `Granola Eaters' Feud With `Suits' -- Disputes Over Mall, Pine St. Have Been Around Since 1959 | The Seattle Times". archive.seattletimes.com. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
7. ^ "Monorail at Westlake Station, Seattle World's Fair, 1962". digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
8. ^ Reinhard Krischer, Alweg Seattle Chronology, Alweg Monorail Rapid Transit History, The Alweg Archives. Accessed online March 27, 2008.
9. ^ Alan J. Stein, Seattle's Central Association unveils Westlake Center plans on December 3, 1968, HistoryLink, July 28, 1999. Accessed online March 27, 2008.
10. ^ a b "City Isn't Worried About Pine Street Handling The Weight From Traffic | The Seattle Times". archive.seattletimes.com. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
11. ^ "Seattle Municipal Archives Digital Collections : Textual Record : Transportation Committee agenda [19890614_agenda_TC]". archives.seattle.gov. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
12. ^ "Online Information Resources - CityClerk | seattle.gov". clerk.seattle.gov. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
13. ^ Patrick McRoberts, http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=1622, HistoryLink, August 10, 1999. Accessed online March 27, 2008.
14. ^ "Westlake: where Seattle goes to fight with itself". crosscut.com. October 14, 2011. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
15. ^ "Seaboard Building helps make Seattle 24-hour city". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
16. ^ Lawrence Kreisman, Downtown Oasis, Pacific Northwest magazine, Seattle Times, 2001. Accessed online March 27, 2008.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Westlake Park (Seattle).

* Parks Department page on Westlake Park

* v
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Downtown Seattle

* Belltown
* Chinatown–International District
* First Hill
* Pike Place Market
* Pioneer Square
* Yesler Terrace

Buildings|

* 5th Avenue Theatre
* 619 Western
* 901 Fifth Avenue
* 1000 Second Avenue
* 1111 Third Avenue
* 1200 Fifth
* 1201 Third Avenue
* 1411 Fourth Avenue Building
* 1600 Seventh Avenue
* Bank of California Building
* Benaroya Hall
* Camlin Hotel
* Central Building
* Cobb Building
* Coliseum Theater
* Colman Building
* Columbia Center
* Dexter Horton Building
* Exchange Building
* Federal Office Building
* Federal Reserve Bank Building
* Globe Building, Beebe Building and Hotel Cecil
* Grand Opera House
* Henry M. Jackson Federal Building
* Holyoke Building
* Hotel Seattle
* Interurban Building
* King County Administration Building
* King County Courthouse
* Liggett Building
* Maynard Building
* Mutual Life Building
* National Building
* Pacific Building
* Pacific Place
* Pike Place Market
* Pioneer Building
* Qualtrics Tower
* Rainier Tower
* Safeco Plaza
* Seattle City Hall
* Seattle Civic Center
* Seattle Convention Center
* Seattle Justice Center
* Seattle Municipal Tower
* Seattle Tower
* Shafer Building
* Sinking Ship
* Skinner Building
* Smith Tower
* Times Square Building
* Union Square
* Union Trust Building
* United States Courthouse
* Westlake Center

Businesses|

* Crowne Plaza Seattle-Downtown
* The Casino
* Coast Seattle Downtown Hotel by APA
* The Double Header
* Fairmont Olympic Hotel
* Iron Horse
* Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream
* Nordstrom Downtown Seattle
* OK Hotel
* Pegasus Coffee
* The Penthouse
* Phở Bắc
* Pike Place Chowder
* Renaissance Seattle Hotel
* Seattle Coffee Works
* Storyville Coffee
* Town Hall Seattle
* Xi'an Noodles
* Zig Zag Café

Culture|

* Coast Guard Museum Northwest
* Daniels Recital Hall
* Moore Theatre
* Paramount Theatre
* Plymouth Church Seattle
* Seattle Art Museum
* Seattle Central Library
* Seattle Ice Arena
* Seattle University

| Public art|

* Black Lives Matter street mural
* Fallen Firefighters Memorial (Wu)
* Farmer's Pole
* Olympic Sculpture Park
* Pioneer Square pergola
* Pioneer Square totem pole
* Prefontaine Fountain
* Urban Garden
* Untitled Totem Pole

|

Parks and gardens|

* City Hall Park
* Freeway Park
* Garden of Remembrance
* Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
* Occidental Park
* Victor Steinbrueck Park
* Waterfall Garden Park
* Westlake Park
* Yesler Terrace Park

Transportation|

* Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel
* International District/Chinatown station
* Pioneer Square station
* Symphony station
* Westlake station
* King Street Station
* Union Station

Related|

* Metropolitan Tract
* Pike Street Hill Climb
* Rainier Club
* Washington Athletic Club
* Westin Seattle
* Women's University Club of Seattle
* Yesler Hillclimb

* v
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Streets in Seattle

North–south streets|

* 1st Avenue
* Alaskan Way
* Aurora Avenue (SR 99)
* Broadway
* Cheasty Boulevard South
* Lake City Way (SR 522)
* Lake Washington Boulevard
* Montlake Boulevard
* University Way Northeast (The Ave)
* Westlake Avenue

East–west streets|

* 145th Street (SR 523)
* Denny Way
* Mercer Street
* Pine Street
* Pike Street
* Yesler Way

Diagonal streets|

* Madison Street
* Pike Place

Loops|

* Queen Anne Boulevard

Intersections, plazas and squares|

* McGraw Square
* Occidental Park
* Pioneer Square
* Tilikum Place
* Westlake Park
* Westlake Square

Alleys|

* Canton Alley
* Nihonmachi Alley
* Post Alley

Freeways|

* I‑5
* I‑90
* Spokane Street Viaduct
* State Route 99 Tunnel
* SR 520
* West Seattle Freeway

Former highways|

* Alaskan Way Viaduct

Never-built highways|

* Bay Freeway
* R.H. Thomson Expressway

All un-suffixed roads are streets unless otherwise noted.

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Protected Areas of Seattle

Federal|

| National Parks|

* Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
* Wing Luke Museum (affiliated)

|

City parks and
preserves|

| Greater than 50 acres (20 ha)|

* Alki Beach
* Camp Long
* Carkeek
* Discovery
* Genesee
* Golden Gardens
* Green Lake
* Interlaken
* Jackson
* Jefferson
* Lake Washington Boulevard
* Lincoln
* Magnolia Tidelands
* Magnuson
* Puget
* Schmitz
* Seattle Center
* Seward
* Westcrest
* West Seattle Golf Course
* Woodland

|

10–50 acres (4.0–20.2 ha)|

* Brighton Playfield
* Cheasty Boulevard South
* Colman
* Condon Way Centerstrip
* Dahl Playfield
* Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook
* Fauntleroy
* Frink
* Garfield
* Gas Works
* Hamilton Viewpoint
* Herring's House Park (Tualtwx)
* Hiawatha
* Interbay Golf
* Kinnear
* Lakeridge
* Lawton
* Leschi
* Longfellow Creek
* Madrona
* Magnolia
* Magnolia Playfield
* Maple Leaf Reservoir
* Maple Wood Playfield
* Matthews Beach
* Meadowbrook Playfield
* Me-Kwa-Mooks
* Montlake Playfield
* Mount Baker
* Northacres
* Open Water Park
* Pigeon Point
* Pritchard Island Beach
* Queen Anne Boulevard
* Ravenna Park
* Riverview Playfield
* Roxhill
* Sam Smith
* Soundview Playfield
* Stan Sayres Memorial
* Volunteer
* Walt Hundley Playfield
* West Seattle Stadium

0.02–10 acres (0.0081–4.0469 ha)|

* Alvin Larkins
* Beer Sheva
* Bell Street
* Bryant Playground
* Cal Anderson
* Cascade Playground
* Cowen
* City Hall
* Commodore
* Denny
* Denny Blaine
* Donnie Chin
* Dr. Jose Rizal
* East Montlake
* Fairview
* Fritz Hedges Waterway Park
* Freeway
* Fremont Peak
* Hing Hay
* Home of the Good Shepherd
* I-5 Colonnade
* Jack Block
* Jimi Hendrix
* Kerry
* Kiwanis Ravine
* Kobe Terrace
* Lake People
* Lake Union
* Lakeview
* Louisa Boren
* Madison
* Marshall Park
* McCurdy
* Meridian Playground
* Myrtle Edwards
* Nora's Woods
* North Passage Point
* Northacres
* Occidental
* Olympic Sculpture Park
* Oxbow
* Parsons Gardens
* Peace
* Roanoke
* Schmitz Boulevard
* South Passage Point
* Terry Pettus Park
* Tilikum Place
* Union Bay Natural Area
* Victor Steinbrueck
* Viretta
* Waterfront
* West Montlake
* Westlake

Under 0.02 acres (0.0081 ha)|

* Boylston Place
* Lakeview Place
* McGraw Square
* Westlake Square

Other|

| Farms, gardens and P-Patches|

* Beacon Food Forest
* Danny Woo International District Community Garden
* Interbay P-Patch
* Marra Farm
* Picardo Farm

|

Green belts|

* St. Mark's Greenbelt
* SW Queen Anne Greenbelt
* East Duwamish Greenbelt (The Jungle)
* West Duwamish Greenbelt

Zoos and aquariums|

* Seattle Aquarium
* Woodland Park Zoo

Arboretums and botanical gardens|

* Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens
* Kubota Garden
* Piper Orchard
* Seattle Chinese Garden
* Seattle Japanese Garden
* South Seattle College Arboretum
* Volunteer Park Conservatory
* Washington Park Arboretum

Landscape architecture|

* Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition
* Olmsted parks

Multi-use trails|

* Burke-Gilman Trail
* Chief Sealth Trail

* Seattle Parks and Recreation
* List of parks in Seattle

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