Gas works park, seattle, washington a piece of the statue of. Chief seattle and the town that took his name is a foundational work for anyone who wants to understand the city and the roots from which it grows. Burke museum of natural history and culture seattle all. The park was added to the national register of historic places on january 2, 20, more than a decade after being nominated. Jack nisbets new essay collection, ancient places, showcases the breadth and depth of his knowledge of the pacific northwest. But they also offer a glimpse into seattles rich history, along with lessons. We have this map printed on many different products that include posters, wrapped canvas, magnets, stickers, wall clocks, dartboards. In the new book, the landscape architecture of richard haag. Having lost almost all of its downtown buildings in the devastating fire of 1889, it took every bit of the citys famous seattle spirit to rebuild and start again. Haag is the only person to twice receive the american society of landscape architects award for design excellence, one of the awards given for his design of gas works park. Volunteer park, seattle jared green seattle has been about human intervention in the natural landscape, setting heavy engineering in a bucolic setting, said john owen, partner with makers architecture and urban design, during a tour organized by the american planning association apa for their conference in this northwest city.
Follow montlake boulevard north through the university of. Robert colescott, kerry james marshall, mickalene thomas brings together the works of three singular american artists whose work redefines history painting in a contemporary context. Gas works park was formerly known under the seattle gas light company and soon changing its name to the seattle gas company in 1930 up until 1956 when it was disbanded. Access to lake union is restricted at gas works park, as the lake sediment contains hazardous substances. Seattle works trains nearly 200 people every year on the basics of board services through our widely recognized, interactive training the bridge. Gas works parks is a really interesting park to visit. Seattle s gas works park is haags bestknown victory for innovative urban design.
A brief history of a seattle landmark seattlebased landscape architect richard haag has reshaped his city and his profession as a designer, teacher, and activist. Jun 05, 2015 jack nisbets new essay collection, ancient places, showcases the breadth and depth of his knowledge of the pacific northwest. The park was added to the national register of historic places on january 2, 20, more than a decade. Seattle art museums olympic sculpture park downtown seattles green space for art and people. The seminal project of landscape architect richard haags career, this iconic park was awarded the asla presidential award for design excellence. This former coal gasification plant found a curious second life as a popular public park. Jul 16, 2014 this is a vintage map of seattle washington produced in 1884. Gas works park was once a major synthetic gas manufacturing plant. Books on seattles history seattleites librarything. In 1939 the city of seattle created the seattle housing authority as the local agency to carry out the new deals federally funded public housing programs. In september, author diana james is set to lead her thrice soldout north capitol hill apartments tour with historic seattle. Northeast seattles wedgwood neighborhood is home to the oldest and largest ppatch in seattle, which was founded on the picardo farm in the mid1960s. Registered in england 06557400, company vat number 5 5978 79.
Histories from the crossingover place by coll thrush, shaping seattle architecture. As the awards jury noted, haags gas works park is a remarkably original and attractive example of how to reclaim a seemingly hopeless and obsolete industrial installation. In other cases, the city reacted to an eras events and challenges, whether by encouraging or celebrating growth in good times, or responding to the consequences of harder times such as wars, depressions, natural disasters, and social upheaval. From modern space to urban ecological design, thaisa way deftly guides readers through haags major influences, design philosophy, and his numerous works, both public and. Nice view of lake union with a bit of history tripadvisor. Seattle layers nature and infrastructure part 1 the dirt. Gas works park is one of the best known and beloved postindustrial landscape projects in north america. Learning more about seattles history and working with an engaged citizenry to preserve it.
Haag fought for an urban park that reflected its history and was to. Discovering history and nature in the city want to order the book directly from me and pay by check, please send me a note, via my contact page. The classic story of the private pleasure ground purchased by the city, briefly used as a cemetery, picked clean of corpses and tombstones, renamed from colman park to lake view park to city park to volunteer park to honor soldiers in the spanish. Gas works park contains remnants of the sole remaining coal gasification plant in the united states. The park was designed by seattle landscape architect richard haag. For seattleites, its another quirky dot on the map that is our city.
Read on to learn more about diana, including what inspired her book shared walls. Burke museum of natural history and culture seattle. In other cases, the city reacted to an eras events and challenges, whether by encouraging or celebrating growth in good times, or responding to the consequences of harder times such as wars, depressions, natural disasters. Gas works park is the work of its designer, richard haag, a prominent seattle landscape architect. Seattle washington history and cartograph 1884 youtube. Page 421 and when the last red man shall have perished, and the memory of my tribe shall have become a myth among the white men, these shores will swarm with the invisible dead of my tribe, and when your childrens children think themselves alone in the field, the store, the shop, upon the highway, or in the silence of the pathless woods, they will not be alone. Gas works park, seattle, washington a piece of the. Way, who studied haag and his work in her 2015 book the landscape. The plant operated from 1906 to 1956 and was bought by the city of seattle for park purposes in 1962.
A brief overview of the history of gas works park sara. There is some where in downtown seattle a bookstore which specializes in architectural books. Seattle apartment buildings, 19001939 as well as a perhaps littleknown fact about the history of apartment buildings. Gas works park, located on a promontory extending from the north shore of lake. Many regard the angular, highly contemporary seattle central library fourth ave as the finest example of modern architecture in the pacific northwest. From discovering great works of art and a variety of native plants to dipping your toes in the water, biking along the. In less than a century, seattle went from pioneer settlement to regional metropolis. If any place would know of of a seattle building history the owner there would. For example, ellsworth storey was selected to design several projects at moran state park on orcas island, producing some of his best known works.
Turner, thomas moran, jan brueghel the younger and canaletto at seattle art museum seattle, seattle art museum 0 first avenue feb 16th may 23rd 2017. The seattle gas light company became the seattle gas company in 1930. The site was once an important transit hub for getting to the east side of lake washington by ferry and for day trips. From fundraising to volunteer events, they launched the effort that is now seattle works. Seattles strangest park has an equally weird history. Dvds about artists, exhibitions, and individual works of art. Many of the various neighborhoods in the northeast seattle area became annexed to the city between 1945 and the early 1950s, although ravenna was annexed much earlier in 1907. Special park features include a sundial, and a beautiful view of seattle. In 1964, haag founded the landscape architecture department at the university of washington. Former naval quarters at sand point are slated for academic uses and lowincome housing, 2000. A brief history of a seattle landmark university of. May 15, 2000 the former sand point naval air station gate now serves visitors to magnuson park, 2000. Little is known about this plant, because its records burned in the great seattle fire of 1889. Haag has received international acclaim for his design of gas works park.
Gas works park has a play area with a large play barn, and big hill popular for flying kites. The seattle gas light company was established in 1873 by a consortium including seattle founders arthur denny and dexter horton above. University of washington press book the landscape architecture of. From modern space to urban ecological design university of washington press. Gas works park opened in 1975 and soon thereafter it was award aslas professional design of excellence award. In 1989, a motivated group of twentysomethings formed an organization dedicated to involving their generation in the seattle community. Rates anonymous entry anonymous entry is available at all hours. This is a vintage map of seattle washington produced in 1884. Boldmere house, faraday avenue, hams hall distribution park, coleshill, birmingham. Gas works park seattle, washington industrial archeology. Sometimes, as with the regrading of downtown, the city created history itself. Richard haag is best known for his rehabilitation of gas works park in seattle and for a series of remarkable gardens at the bloedel reserve on bainbridge island. If landscape architect richard haag had stopped with gas works park and bloedel reserve in seattle, washington, these two projects alone would have assured his place in american landscape architectural history, marc treib asserts in the forward to the new book, the. The seattle art museum commonly known as sam is an art museum located in seattle, washington.
The museum of history and industry is dedicated to exhibits featuring seattle s rich history and experience, with a variety of exhibitions and opportunities for learning. Seattles gas works park is haags bestknown victory for innovative urban design. The museum offers free admittance at least one day per month, and kids up to age. Located on the northwest corner of university of washington campus in seattle. From modern space to urban ecological design, thaisa way deftly guides readers through haags major influences, design philosophy, and his numerous works, both public and private. They built their first plant on a tide flat near the present location of union station. The history of seattle city government parallels seattle s greater history. He reshaped the field of landscape architecture as a designer, teacher, and activist. The following text is excerpted by the permission of university of washington press and jeffrey karl ochsner from the book shaping seattle architecture. Indians appear at the time of contact, are involved in fighting or treaties, and then seem to vanish, usually onto reservations. Richard haag, who founded the uw department of landscape architecture in 1964, designed and reinvented the wallingford peninsula we now know as gas works park. The opportunity to interact with history and the modern world at the same time. In native seattle, coll thrush explodes the commonly accepted notion that indians in traditional scholarship, native americans have been conspicuously absent from urban history.
Jan 26, 2007 there is some where in downtown seattle a bookstore which specializes in architectural books. Find books on topics such as art history and criticism, photography, architecture, and gardens. History, madison park, seattle history madison park today is a beach that is packed body to body with swimmers in summer from the densly populated neighborhoods to the west. University of washington press in association with aia seattle, 1994.
John charles olmsted 18521920, the stepson of frederick law olmsted 18221903, who designed new york citys central park, was the firms principal designer in seattle. The former sand point naval air station gate now serves visitors to magnuson park, 2000. For newcomers to seattle, its unlike any place theyve ever seen. Seattlebased landscape architect richard haag has reshaped his city and his profession as a designer, teacher, and activist. The crown jewel of seattles olmsteddesigned park system.
Bridging three generations and shaped by distinctive historic events, the largescale tableaux of robert colescott, kerry james marshall, and mickalene thomas open compelling. Its a new kind of museumand a whole new way to experience our world. Gas works changed the way we do parks, said uw assistant landscape architecture professor thaisa way. For a city that was founded as late as 1851, seattle has a wealth of history. Magnuson parks shoreline attracts boaters and bathers, 2000. Seattle art museum, june 29 december 10, 1978 charles cowles, sarah clark, seattle art museum snippet view 1978 common terms and phrases. The museum of history and industry is dedicated to exhibits featuring seattles rich history and experience, with a variety of exhibitions and opportunities for learning. The museum offers free admittance at least one day per month, and kids up to age 14 are free every day excluding school groups. In addition to its early history, the impact of gas works park on land. Its 20 acres of idyllic grassy hills and towering evergreens includes a play structure and plenty of picnic tables. Tucked along the shores of lake union in the heart of seattle, gas works park features the typical array of joggers, bikers, and even the occasional sunbather.
Clarke publishing company collection newyorkpubliclibrary. If landscape architect richard haag had stopped with gas works park and bloedel reserve in seattle, washington, these two projects alone would have assured his place in american landscape architectural history, marc treib asserts in the forward to the. Board training and we couldnt do it without the skills, experiences and expertise of our volunteer faculty. He open montana books in wallingford back in the early 1980s i think, then moved to architecture and downtown. Richard haag is best known for his rehabilitation of gas works park in seattle and for. The olmsted brothers landscape architecture firm designed the majority of seattle s parks. A piece of the statue of liberty comes to gasworks park for 4th of july. We hope you, your family and your friends enjoy this free park that embodies all that is great about the northwest. It used to be a gasification park, and instead of tearing everything down they turned it into a park. Apr 15, 2015 seattle based landscape architect richard haag has reshaped his city and his profession as a designer, teacher, and activist. Seattle parks and recreation patano studio architecture harrison design gas works park comfort station and east entry landmarks preservation board 11 1872 1961 a brief history of gas works in seattle a study of form the early structures use simple roof shapes, mainly gable roofs and dutch hip roofs ca.
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