76 
PARK AND C EM ETER Y. 
Park Development in Seattle 
HOIISE-SHO?: CI’RVE OF FPJNK BOULEVARD IN COLMAN PARK. 
To even a casual observer it is apparent 
that Seattle has made wonderful progress 
in the development of its parks, plaj’- 
grounds and boulevards. 
Seattle has, within the last ten years, 
appropriated five million dollars of public 
funds for parks, playgrounds and boule- 
vards and made remarkably intelligent de- 
velopment of its wonderful natural re- 
sources. Nature has blessed Seattle with 
a magnificent setting. With Puget Sound, 
an arm of the Pacific, forming the western 
boundary of the city. Lake Washington, a 
lieautiful body of water thirty miles in 
length as its eastern boundary, w’ith the 
Olympic Mountains across the sound to 
the west and the Cascade Range across 
the lake to the east, the city rising on a 
series of hills between the Sound and lake, 
with two large lakes. Lake Union and 
Green Lake, within the city itself, there 
is little more that could be wished in the 
way of natural scenic attractions. 
The first step in park development was 
to secure a comprehensive development 
plan, and with this end in view Landscape 
Architect John C. Olmsted was employed 
and “The Olmsted Plan’’ was officially 
adopted. 
The next step was to place the Park 
Department upon a sound footing so that 
the development work might be carried 
forward systematically and efficiently. .At 
that time (1904) Seattle w’as in the un- 
fortunate position that even today many 
American cities are in, that of having its 
park work a part of the regular city ad- 
ministration, subject to the will of City 
Council in the matter of revenue and ex- 
penditure. 
Naturally, then, the citizens w'ho had in 
mind a great park system resolved that 
this condition of affairs must be changed 
and that with a comprehensive plan 
adopted, the Park Board must cease to be 
a nonentity and become a real working 
body with independent power and re- 
sources. 
This was brought about Isy a sweeping 
amendment to the city charter in 1994. 
The emancipation of the Park Commission 
by this charter amendment at once had 
its effect, and during 1904 and lOO.) the ex- 
isting park system was made worthy of 
the name. 
To provide for land acquisition, a spe- 
cial bond issue of $500, 0(10 w'as submitted 
to a vote of the people of lOOO and w’as 
authorized. With this money new prop- 
erties were acquired and considerable de- . 
velopment work accomplished in 1907, and 
in order that this might continue, in 1908 
a bond issue of $l,000,00o was submitted 
to a vote and the people ratified this issue. 
This sum gave the board an opportunity 
to make a showing in the way of boule- 
vard construction and the installation of 
playgrounds. 
Demands came from all sections of the 
city for the rapid carrying out of the 
Olmsted plan, and in 1910 the board out- 
lined a very amlritious schedule of acqui- 
sitions and improvements asking the peo- 
ple to vote a bond issue of $2,()(l(),0iiU. By 
a sweeping majority the money was vot- 
ed and the past five years have marked a 
greater period of extension and improve- 
ment than in all previous years combined. 
At the election of March, 1912, an addi- 
tional $500,00(1 was voted to carry forward 
a number of very extensive improvement 
projects now under way, making a total of 
four million dollars of bonds which have 
been voted for park e.xtension within the 
last ten years. In 1904, when the change 
of affairs occurred, the city owned si.x park 
tracts, but three of which were improved, 
no playgrounds whatever and not one foot 
of boulevard. 
Today there are thirty-eight improved 
parks, ranging in size from five to two 
hundred acres. The policy has been to 
provide numerous small neighborhood or 
community parks in preference to a few 
large parks, and a feature of the Olm- 
sted plan is to provide a park or play- 
ground within a half mile of e\ery home 
in the city. 
In the matter of boulevards, the plan 
provides for a fifty-mile chain of drives, 
skirting the shores of our lakes or fol- 
lowing the high ridges overlooking the 
w'ater and mountains, practically belting 
the city and connecting many of our parks. 
Thirty-one miles of this scenic driveway 
have been improved, working systematical- 
ly away from the center of the city^ and 
extensions at either end are in course of 
construction at this time. 
Playgrounds have been given generous 
attention. The city owns twenty-four play- 
VOLUNTEER PARK SEEN FROM WATER TOW'ER. SEATTLE. 
