Freeway Park Explained

Freeway Park
Photo Width:300px
Type:Urban park
Area:5.2acres[1]
Owner:Seattle Parks and Recreation
Operator:Freeway Park Association
Open:6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.[2]
Embedded:
Embed:yes
Architect:Lawrence Halprin, Angela Danadjieva
Architecture:Brutalism
Designated Other2 Name:Washington Heritage Register
Designated Other2 Abbr:WHR
Designated Other2 Link:Washington Heritage Register
Designated Other2 Date:October 25, 2019[3]
Designated Other2 Color:
  1. FFE978
Designated Other3:Seattle Landmark
Designated Other3 Date:May 18, 2022[4]
Added:December 19, 2019[5]
Refnum:100004789

Freeway Park, officially known as Jim Ellis Freeway Park, is an urban park in Seattle, Washington, United States, connecting the city's downtown to the Seattle Convention Center and First Hill. The park sits atop a section of Interstate 5 and a large city-owned parking lot; 8th Avenue also bridges over the park. An unusual mixture of brutalist architecture and greenery, the 5.2acres park, designed by Lawrence Halprin's office under the supervision of Angela Danadjieva, opened to the public on July 4, 1976, at a cost of $23.5 million.[6] An expansion of the park that stretches several blocks up First Hill, including a stairway and wheelchair ramp, was opened in 1982.[7]

The park is also a cultural landscape and a precedent setting park that, according to The Cultural Landscape Foundation, helped define a new land-use typology for American cities.[8] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 19, 2019, having been listed on the Washington Heritage Register in a unanimous vote on October 25; it was also declared a Seattle Landmark by the city's landmarks preservation board in a unanimous vote on May 18, 2022.

The park's unique architecture has made it famous among parkour enthusiasts. The World Freerunning and Parkour Federation listed Freeway Park second on its list of the seven best parkour locations in the world.[9]

History

A series of crimes, in particular a murder on January 18, 2002, briefly gave the park a reputation as a haven for crime and led to calls for a radical redesign.[10] Many at first attributed the dangers to the design of the park. A neighborhood group formed under the name Freeway Park Neighborhood Association (FPNA) collaborated with the city's parks and recreation department to produce an "activation plan" for the park, published in 2005 as "A New Vision for Freeway Park". The report has concluded that the park's problems could be remedied by numerous small changes: increased security patrols, better lighting, pruning back of certain plants, and above all increased use, both in terms of organized events and simply encouraging more convention center visitors to use the park.[11] The strategy, only partly implemented, seems to be succeeding: according to David Brewster of the FPNA, crime in the park is down 90% compared to that of 2002.[12] [13] The park was renovated in 2008 and renamed to honor civic leader Jim Ellis.[14]

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Annual Report 2019 . 2020-04-13 . Freeway Park Association. October 25, 2021 . Issuu.
  2. Web site: Freeway Park - Seattle Parks and Recreation . Seattle.gov . . October 25, 2021.
  3. News: Reiner-Roth . Shane . Seattle's Brutalist Freeway Park is reviewed for National Register and approved for renovation . October 25, 2021 . . November 5, 2019.
  4. News: Freeway Park in downtown Seattle declared city landmark. KIRO 7 News. May 20, 2022. July 8, 2022.
  5. Web site: Weekly List 20191220 - National Register of Historic Places . . . October 25, 2021 . en . December 20, 2019.
  6. Web site: Beckner . Chrisanne . National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Freeway Park . September 2019 . . PDF . October 25, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211025013606/https://wisaard.dahp.wa.gov/api/api/resultgroup/518278/doc . October 25, 2021 . live.
  7. News: Easton . Valerie . July 27, 2008 . In the concrete jungle, Freeway Park will offer respite once again . . October 27, 2019 . June 16, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180616002034/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/pacificnw/2008065997_pacificplife27.html . dead .
  8. Web site: Maryman . Brice . Birkholz . Liz . 2005 . Freeway Park/Past, Present and Future? . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090228183550/http://tclf.org/features/freeway/index.htm . 2009-02-28 . 2009-05-31 . The Cultural Landscape Foundation.
  9. Web site: The 7 Best Parkour Locations in the World . . Parham . Sam . February 18, 2020. 2021-02-21.
  10. News: Mudede, Charles . August 22, 2002 . Topography of Terror . . 2009-05-31.
  11. A New Vision for Freeway Park . January 2005 . . 2005-09-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070218162750/http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/parkspaces/FreewayPark/ActivationPlan.pdf . 2007-02-18 . dead.
  12. Brewster . David . David Brewster (journalist) . Steve Scher . Freeway Park . 2009-05-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090812075909/http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=9317 . August 12, 2009 . dead . Weekday . . Seattle, Washington . August 16, 2005.
  13. News: Iwasaki . John . July 19, 2005 . Improvements bringing people back to Freeway Park . . 2009-05-31.
  14. News: Gilmore . Susan . September 3, 2008 . Group pushing to rename Freeway Park . B4 . The Seattle Times . October 27, 2019.

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