Location: Downtown Seattle
Address: 450 3rd Ave.
Acreage: 1.3
Why is a park that’s named after City Hall not located near City Hall?
I wondered this until I realized that City Hall used to be located across the street in the Yesler Building. Seattle has actually had a handful of different homes for its central government over the decades.
I imagine that back in the day, this park was a peaceful and elegant public space. Here’s a cool photo of what this area looked like in 1920s.
The park was not always a peaceful spot, though. According to the city’s web site, it was the site of a battle in 1856 (the original “Battle in Seattle”) when Native Americans led by Chief Leschi attacked Seattle pioneers.
These days it’s tough to call it a peaceful and elegant public space. A hint to this are the signs that ban “amplified sound and excessive noise,” as well as “going into shrub beds or planted areas.”
Oh well, it’s still great to have more than an acre of green space in the middle of a busy downtown. And, this park has fantastic tall oak trees worth checking out.
#79 (Visited 1/7/10)