An Ode to Seattle’s Parks
By Yordanos Tesfazion
The First Seattle Park
Despite its genesis as a cemetery, South Lake Union’s Denny Park, formally known as Seattle Park, has lived multiple lives as the city’s oldest park. One of Seattle’s credited founders, European American settler David Denny, and his wife Louisa Boren Denny initially donated six acres of land to the city for use as a municipal cemetery in 1864. When the cemetery became crowded, burials were exhumed and relocated. In July 1884, the land was redesignated as a public park.
Urbanization forced the city to make upgrades to Denny Park in 1894. The year-long project called for walkways, new plantings, pavilions, restrooms, and a fountain. A more extensive second round of improvements were made in 1904 as the neighborhood continued to develop and become residential. Renovations included the addition of a playfield, playground, sand court, garden, and shelter and tool house. In 1910, downtown Seattle’s second regrade put Denny Park at risk of demolition. By the late 1920s the park towered 60 feet above surrounding regraded land until it was completely flattened in 1930 and replanted shortly after.
A Glimpse into the Future
Seattle’s first park foreshadowed the significance of green spaces in the city today. A few years after the city’s acquisition of Denny Park, the Board of Park Commissioners was established to oversee the development of a park system. They brought the Olmsted Brothers on board in 1903 to work on a comprehensive plan, which linked large public parks together along a 20-mile greenbelt of boulevards and parkways. With access at the forefront of their minds, they aimed to locate and develop parks within one half of a mile of every home in the city. Thanks to their expertise, Seattle is internationally recognized for its robust parks and green spaces.
Top 10, Once Again
Every year, Trust for Public Land (TPL) ranks the 100 most populous cities in the United States by comparing five park categories: equity, access, investment, amenities, and acreage. Our 2026 ranking: #8!
The city’s lowest scores out of 100 fell under Acreage and Amenities, at 53 points each. 72 points were assigned to Park Space Equity. Expectedly, Seattle ranked well for Access and Investment, sitting at 99 and 100 points. Considering Seattle’s history of redlining and other forms of discrimination, these scores are quite consistent with the long-term effects of exclusionary systems.
Why exactly did TPL rank Seattle so high?
* 99% of Seattle residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park
* 12% of the land in Seattle is used for parks and recreation
* Park investments in the city add up to $440 total spending per capita
No Park Left Behind
Placing in the top 10 for best parks and recreation systems in the country is no small feat, but what are the stories behind the categories that didn’t score as high? There are more than 6,400 acres of parks in Seattle. Renovations and repairs take time, and a myriad of barriers can stall or prevent community-led park activations.
Public green spaces, like our parks, are essential communal amenities not everyone has equitable access to. Yes, 99% of Seattle residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park—but are those parks clean, safe, and functional? Seattle Parks Foundation fiscally sponsors partners with neighborhood-specific improvement and activation projects to help create welcoming public green spaces in as many neighborhoods as possible.
Our position as an organization of privilege with a vast network bears us with the social responsibility to focus our energy on tipping the scale in support of communities that continue to face discrimination. Recently completed and ongoing public park and green space projects that exemplify our commitment to equity in public spaces include:
- Be’er Sheva Lake Access
- Cayton Corner Park
- Duwamish Waterway Park
- Healthy Othello – HOSTED
- Othello Park Alliance
- Puma Playfield at Concord International Elementary
- West Duwamish Greenbelt Community Vision/Concept Plan
Some Things Never Change
Denny Park’s first few renovations were necessary to sustain a city people were rapidly relocating to. Today, Seattle continues to grow at a quick and steady rate with no end in sight. Therefore, routine maintenance of existing parks and opening new parks are required for a prosperous Seattle. Active and completed major park and green space projects in Seattle that we’ve collaborated with the City, donors, volunteers, and partners on include:
- Lake People (Xacua’bs) Park (2005)
- Homer Harris Park (2005)
- Lake Union Park capital campaign (2010)
- Rainier Beach Urban Farm & Wetlands redevelopment (2017)
- Occidental Square Pavilion (2021)
- Duwamish River People’s Park and Shoreline Habitat (2022)
- Detective Cookie Chess Park (2022)
- Pathways Park (2024)
- Re-opening of Be’er Sheva Park (2024)
- Cayton Corner (2025)
- Cheasty North Loop (2025)
- Puma Playfield at Concord International Elementary School (2025)
- Re-opening of Westlake Park (2026)
Public parks are meant to complement the communities they’re in, not the other way around.
Our partners’ improvement and activation projects are grassroots efforts, oftentimes a response to neighborhood-specific needs. Because they know their communities best and are qualified in their respective fields, having our partners lead these projects is the sensible route to take.
Learn how we work with community to maintain and create Seattle’s parks and green spaces here.
Sources
Denny Park – HistoryLink
Park History – Seattle Parks and Recreation
Summary for Dexter Ave N, John St,9th Ave N, Denny Way – Seattle Department of Neighborhoods