Location: Central Seattle
Address: 2401 E. Howell St.
Acreage: 0.5
After visiting so many parks over the past year, a lot of them start to blend together. So, I love it when I find a park that was cleverly designed to be unique.
Homer Harris Park in the Central District close to busy 23rd Ave. has tons of neat features in its small space. First you notice the sculptures that line the cement walking path, slightly mischievous creatures that appear to be standing guard. A small sandy area has several other sculptures that were designed for kids to climb on.
You’ll also find nice metal picnic tables, two of which have chess tables built in. There’s a BBQ and plenty of grass for picnicking.
At the north end of the park cutouts the shape of a leaf along the cement walkway talk about the history of Seattle, and in particular about people of color. Unfortunately, the leaves have faded making them difficult to read. Two plaques shaped like books near the vividly colored cement patio tell us about Homer Harris.
Homer was a Seattle dermatologist and a bit of a football legend. An anonymous donor gave the city $1.3 million to honor Mr. Harris with this park, which is thought to be the biggest single private donation for a park in the city’s history (says HistoryLink.org).
HistoryLink.org also wants us to know that Homer, who passed away in 2007, was thought to be one of the most handsome people in Seattle. Check out the link above to see for yourself.
#209 (Visited 7/22/10)