Seven Hills? One Capitol Hill park gets its 'official' name

Mithun's 'conceptual model' of the park. The 'Seven Hills' art element is represented by the brown lumps

One of Capitol Hill's two new parks finally has a name. The green space soon to be built at 16th and Howell will be known as Seven Hills Park to reflect an art element envisioned for the park. The art -- part of park designer Mithun's plan -- would depict the 'original' seven hills of Seattle. Here's a Wikipedia list of every other city in the world claiming to be built on seven hills. As we noted before, you can blame Rome.

Last we heard, the art element still wasn't covered in the funds available to build the park. Guess that changed. Or we might be looking for another name for the park soon.

Last month was the deadline for community members to submit ideas to name two Capitol Hill parks under development. No word yet on the Summit/John park's official name. In choosing the Seven Hills moniker, the parks department passed over an opportunity to honor Capitol Hill community leaders or historical figures. CHS offered up a list of worthy candidates here.

Once a parking lot, soon a park

The good folks at the Howell Collective got early word on the new name and have posted the the parks department press release. According to the release, the Seven Hills idea was submitted by first graders at St. Joe's. Too bad those kids haven't met Purple Mark.

Seven Hills Park

Parks acquired the Capitol Hill site at the northeast corner of E Howell St. and 16th Ave. E in 2007 with funding from the 2000 Pro Parks Levy and King County Conservation Futures tax revenues. The approved plan consists of an open lawn in the middle bordered by a collective garden to the north and a crushed rock plaza and a pathway lined with trees to the south. Other elements include a garden walk, steps, a plaza and benches, barbeque, a picnic table, and an art element.

The art element, “Seven Hills of Seattle,” designed by Mithun Landscape Architects, includes a grouping of seven boulders for creative play and seating that represent the seven hills of Seattle, called out in an early effort by early 20th century civic boosters to liken Seattle to Rome. (The hills are First Hill, Second Hill [Central Area ridge], Denny Hill [now the Denny Regrade and Belltown], Capitol Hill, Yesler or Profanity Hill [actually part of First Hill], Beacon Hill, and Queen Anne Hill. Some accounts include Magnolia Bluff, Sunset Hill, Duwamish Head, and West Seattle Hill.

Parks received more than 50 suggestions for a name for this park, and the Naming Committee settled on Seven Hills Park, suggested by first grade students at nearby St. Joseph’s school after the artwork in the park that represents Seattle’s seven hills.

Construction on the site, also funded by the Pro Parks Levy, is scheduled to be completed by spring 2010.