Tag Archives: parks

Pikes/Pines | The pronking, nibbling, Volunteer Park-chilling deer of Capitol Hill

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These deer appeared in Volunteer Park in July (Image: Volunteer Park Trust)

When my parents moved out of Seattle and to a small city North of Seattle in 2017, they took with them plans for a new garden. They didn’t realize that Anacortes is filthy with deer, nor what it meant for that garden. Deer rubbing their antlers on their precious new Japanese maples. Deer uprooting fresh plantings of flowers. Deer relaxing on lawns and chewing cud.

What does Anacortes have to do with Capitol Hill? Nothing really, but if you are anything like me, you didn’t grow up having many first-hand experiences with deer. They were animals you saw in the country, common but still kinda fun to see. Believe it or not, there are deer in Seattle and a couple of Capitol Hill’s green spaces host them. But that makes the deer that have been hanging out in Volunteer Park no less exciting.

The “deer” in question are Black-tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus. They are a subspecies of Mule Deer, which range all across Western North America. Go east of the Cascades and you’ll find a different subspecies, the Rocky Mountain Mule Deer. Colloquially often called just “Muleys,” they are well named, for their seemingly oversized mule-like ears. Washington is also home to White-tailed Deer, including a threatened population now restricted to Southwestern Washington. Continue reading →

A rite of Capitol Hill summer: waiting for the Cal Anderson fountain to be turned back on

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The fountain in wetter times

With persnickety German-made pump parts and a sensitive infrastructure, it has become a rite of summer waiting for water to return to Cal Anderson’s “fountain mountain,”

Seattle Parks tells CHS the Waterworks installation should be turned back on “any day now” after going dry — again — even as the park’s reflecting pool remained filled.

We don’t know exactly what went wrong this time but past repairs have frequently involved the fountain’s pump and broken water lines.

In 2021, parks mounted a $35,000 overhaul of the Doug Hollis-designed fountain that included work to strengthen the structure and apply water repellent and anti-graffiti coatings.

The fountain is a celebration of what lies beneath Cal Anderson and the creation of the neighborhood’s central park — two 6.25 million-gallon vaults full of Seattle Public Utilities drinking water. There has been a reservoir at the site for more than 115 years. After the state mandated that Seattle’s open water sources needed to be covered in the early 1990s, Kay Rood and community groups helped lead an effort to cap the reservoir with a park.

 

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2023 sit in a park watching free concerts and movies season starts on Capitol Hill

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Sorry! Due to a publishing error, we didn’t get this to readers before Thursday night’s 2023 debut of the Summer Series in Volunteer Park. All of our apologies! Go listen to Khu.éex’ with Preston Singletary as soon as you can!

It’s sitting in a Capitol Hill park with a cool beverage while listening to free music or watching a free movie with friends season. This week brings the first rounds of two key elements of that season — Thursday night Summer Series concerts at the Volunteer Park Amphitheater and Friday night movies in Cal Anderson Park.

CHS reported on the lineup for the 2023 Volunteer Park concert series here — the second season of the free shows set up to celebrate the park’s $2.7 million amphitheater replacement that opened last July. The 2023 series starts Thursday night with Khu.éex’ with Preston Singletary.

Friday, Cal Anderson gets in the game with a screening of… something billed as “The Changling.” We’re assuming the city meant The Changeling, the cult classic about a New York City composer who relocates to Seattle where he moves into a mansion he comes to believe is haunted. Continue reading →

Central District’s Powell Barnett Park makes short list as Seattle finally ready to add two new off-leash dog areas

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At the E Cherry “pop-up” dog park

The Central District’s Powell Barnett Park has made the short list for much-awaited new off-leash dog areas in Seattle.

The MLK Way park is the only District 3 location to make the list of nine final sites being considered after years of process by Seattle Parks. The final candidates joining Powell Barnett on the list include the Discovery Park North Parking Lot, View Ridge Playfield, East Queen Anne Playground, Ravenna Park, West Seattle Stadium, Brighton Playfield, Lincoln Park, and Othello Park.

CHS reported here on the high demand for Capitol Hill dog families that has turned Cal Anderson and Volunteer Park into sometimes rogue off-leash areas and the long process from the city to study and designate new sites. CHS also found one Central District dog park opened on the down low by an area developer on property awaiting future construction.

The parks department says the Powell Barnett site would be the lawn area on the north end of the park near its Play Area, Comfort Station, Basketball Court, and Wading Pool. Continue reading →

Bullitt House moves forward in city landmarks process

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(Image: Seattle Parks)

The 1955-built A-frame style house at the center of the Capitol Hill historical district property lined up to become a new city park will be considered for landmarks protections that will shape how the structure will be utilized in the new public space.

Last week, the Seattle Landmarks Board unanimously moved the nomination of the Bullitt House forward in a 7-0 vote. Continue reading →

Playground overhaul work begins at Cal Anderson Park

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(Image: @aronjaay)

Sorry, kids. The Cal Anderson Park playground is closed for construction.

It might seem cruel that, just as the weather has turned warm and summery, the play area at the busy park is fenced off but Seattle Parks says the schedule for the project is necessary as part of the cost savings from bundling the work with a contract covering other parks work in the city. Continue reading →

At center of property lined up for new Capitol Hill park, Bullitt House to be considered for landmarks protections

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As the process to turn the Bullitt property’s 1.6 acres of North Capitol Hill land into a city park slowly moves forward, the family’s 1955 A-frame house will be considered for landmarks protections.

Seattle’s Landmarks Preservation Board will consider the nomination of the Bullitt House on June 7th.

The land and 68-year-old 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. Continue reading →

‘Tree retention evaluation’ — City sorting out how to keep Cal Anderson’s maple trees and fix the sidewalk around the park

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Thanks to the many readers who have alerted us to the signs (Image courtesy a CHS reader)

Ominous “tree retention evaluation” signs that have gone up on the dozens of Red Sunset Maples surrounding Cal Anderson Park have caused a stir as Seattle experiences record May heat.

A city spokesperson’s words about the signs probably won’t do much to cool things down though the representative wanted it made clear the notices do not — necessarily — “indicate that we intend to remove these trees.”

“We value our tree canopy and all the benefits it provides. The purpose of the postings was to share information with the public about an upcoming evaluation and scheduled maintenance activities that have the potential to impact the trees,” the spokesperson tells CHS.

The City of Seattle’s transportation department says that the trees, many decades old, are being evaluated “to consider possible solutions to address sidewalk damage with minimal impact to the trees.”

The Seattle Department of Transportation says it is looking into whether the sidewalk alignment can be adjusted around the trees and is also considering “other possible solutions to preserve the trees in any areas where this is not feasible.” Continue reading →

GSB: $8.4M plan for Garfield Super Block taking shape in the Central District with Legacy and Promise Promenade, water play area, possible parkour, and a big new slide

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Artist rendering of a new “comfort station”. being planned for the project

By Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero

The Garfield Super Block Coalition has completed a master arts plan that is being reviewed by the Seattle Parks Department which is working to add public art throughout the $8.4 million promenade and public space project and is wrapping up their design process for the overhaul of this Central District block with hopes to start construction in summer 2024.

The plan is to include art from eight public art pieces with seven pieces being from different ethnic groups such as the Duwamish, Jewish, African-American, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, and Italian communities that have helped shape the Central District. The last piece will be a collaborative piece from all seven ethnic groups.

“At the heart of this project is art that lifts up the legacy of seven different ethnic groups that really have built roots in this community,” Sharon Khosla, one of the Garfield Super Block Coalition members, said.

An ethnic advisory committee has been formed with members from each community composed of community leaders and artists. This group is tasked with finding artists to do public art work.

“We’re really hoping that this artwork can help people understand the history and can feel the pride of their community,” Khosla said.

The art will join the Legacy and Promise Promenade, a pathway fulfilling the long-envisioned goal of connecting Horace Mann School, now home to Nova High School, just on the other side of Cherry with the Quincy Jones Performing Arts Center in the center of the Garfield High School campus. Continue reading →

Seattle’s ‘Day of Service’ is May 20th — Where should Capitol Hill and Central District volunteers put their love for the city to work?

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Caring for Capitol Hill helps keep Cal Anderson beautiful year-round

Mayor Bruce Harrell’s initiative to encourage community projects with a “Day of Service” in the city is returning in 2023 on May 20th.

The mayor launched the initiative last year as part of this administration’s “One Seattle” theme, efforts that have ranged from increased encampment sweeps to increased graffiti removal spending as well as new public safety measures like hiring more park rangers.

“I love Seattle – and I know so many neighbors share that same passion for our city and want to be part of making it a better place,” Harrell said about the volunteer effort’s launch last year. 2022 Day of Service projects included Cal Anderson and Capitol Hill street clean-ups.

The initiative’s entry into the mayor’s beautification, sweeps, and anti-graffiti efforts comes as some community groups have grown melding “clean streets” efforts with politics. Continue reading →