The property from above in the summer of 2022
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The 1125 Harvard Ave E project will meet its next major milestone Saturday with a community meeting to unveil the proposal held at Volunteer Park’s Asian Art Museum:
125 Harvard Ave E Park Public Design Meeting
Sat, Oct 15, 2022 , 10:00am-11:30am
Seattle Asian Art Museum, Alvord Boardroom 1400 E Prospect
The 1.6 acres of land and 1955-built home on the property left to the city after the death of philanthropist Kay Bullitt stretches out on the northwest slopes of Capitol Hill in the prestigious Harvard-Belmont Landmark District.
CHS reported here on the early planning for the project including a survey that planners said showed preferences for developing the new park land “as a quiet, contemplative place” while making space for the Cass Turnbull Garden as part of the site, a project from Seattle nonprofit Plant Amnesty honoring its late founder.
A plan must also be shaped for the 1955-built Bullitt residence — “a unique A-frame house” designed by Pacific Northwest architect Fred Bassetti that stands on the property. The one and a half story, 3,400-square-foot open design home must be structurally assessed and could be worthy of historical protections while remaining a centerpiece of the new park.
The full Seattle Parks document including survey responses and answers submitted by community members about the planned park is below:
Saturday’s Seattle Parks and Recreation meeting will feature the first public unveiling of a design concept based, the city says, “on “the input we’ve received to date, along with regulatory requirements, and other constraints” as part the community work led by Karen Kiest Landscape Architecture. Parks says the meeting is “an opportunity for the community to learn about the project, provide input on design options and learn about the next steps for the project.”
Upcoming milestones beyond the release of the “concept/early schematic design for the park” will also include a “rough order of magnitude cost estimate for possible inclusion in the next round of the Seattle Park District funding,” Seattle Parks says.
Opened six years ago, Broadway Hill Park’s third of an acre construction budget weighed in at around $400,000. But that land cost the city $2 million.
Next steps on Harvard Ave E will also include submitting the Bullitt house and property for landmarks review, maintenance work that could include repairs to the property’s old masonry walls, and studying accessibility throughout the property.
With the land now under city ownership, Seattle Parks is also considering changes to its future parkland including removing a fence and hedge along Harvard “following principles of CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design).”
You can learn more on the 1125 Harvard Avenue East park project page.
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What if the city simply decided to develop the land and use the money for the existing parks, one of which is about 5 min walk away. Fascinating that no money was provided in the donation of the property to actually build the park.
I mean regardless of what the city does, the end result will be someone living there.
the donation of 1.6 acres of some of the most valuable land in the country wasn’t enough for mr “enough parks already” roanoke.
Even if the land was sold to developers there’s zero chance it would become low income housing, high density or anything. Best case scenario 6 luxury townhomes. there are other, much better places to focus this type of criticism.
Mentioned in an earlier story:
“In 1974, the property was deeded to the city ‘for future park purposes, effective upon vacation of the property by the owner’ as a life estate, ownership that allowed the family to reside on the property after it had been conveyed to Seattle Parks.”
The deeding of the property was expressly meant to create a park upon Kay Bullitt’s passing.
Because she wasn’t an idiot and wouldn’t have donated her property to the city without appropriate use restrictions.
The city can’t use it for anything other than parks. Kay Bullitt didn’t leave money along with the park because she already gave SPR valuable land, and she was busy putting her money toward other causes. She left an incredible legacy – I recommend reading up about her.
No good deed goes unpunished.
It’s worth looking at the advantages of turning your home into a park. The property tax valuation is astonishingly low given the size of the lot and location. $160k for a 4bed house and huge garden on Harvard ?! In 1998 it was $2m but then something got it revalued.
https://blue.kingcounty.com/Assessor/eRealProperty/Dashboard.aspx?ParcelNbr=6762700035
I think that Kay Bullitt deserved every tax advantage possible for the extremely valuable gift she gave to the citizens of Seattle.
She had a dog park there for years and in the summer she would have a community bbq for everyone in the area. Such a sweet lady that did so much for the community. It can’t be developed, because is was already deeded to the city for a park. So sorry, everyone that wants another boring condo. You’ll have to live with a park.
Kay Bullitt was more than just a sweet old lady. She was a progressive activist who was a Seattle mover and shaker. A FEW examples include getting Seattle Public Schools to voluntarily desegregate, co-founding the first savings and loan where women could manage their own money, hosting summer camps for children of all races on her property, and picnics that often had more to do with politics and peace activism.
In the last five years, she welcomed the PlantAmnesty’s wish to honor founder Cass Turnbull. Hundreds of hours of volunteer work, Edmonds CC and UW student designed and built infrastructure, donated plants and arbor work have turned the neglected, and weed ridden north west slope into a peaceful contemplative garden honoring regional progressive women.
The Cass Garden is already established (at least the north end) and we would like to complete the south western part.
This has long been and should remain a community place for growth and inspiration.
For future references, please read the book about Kay, 1125 Harvard: Kay Bullitt’s Gathering Place, her obituary, and learn more about the Cass Turnbull Garden.
I’m incredibly appreciative of Kay Bullit’s enormous generosity and foresight.
I attended this meeting and had to walk out in the middle after numerous neighbors, most of whom from what I can see have their own property to recreate, using “safety” as a codeword for our unhoused neighbors, and complaining about having to deal with the general public like the rest of us. I don’t think I heard a single person from that neighborhood speak about building something for a broader community, just about creating something for themselves. Parks are for people, you don’t get to pick and choose who your neighbors are, if you’re really that concerned about them then you can do more to help out with the broader crisis causing these problems, don’t block access to a public park and much needed green space for the neighborhood.