“I do not know of any place where the natural advantages for parks are better than here. They can be made very attractive and will be, in time, one of the things that will make Seattle known all over the world.”

Quote from John Charles Olmsted upon his first visit to Seattle, from an articlein the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 1, 1903
 
Seattle is blessed by its beautiful location, but it was its visionary citizens who recognized that parks celebrating the landscape would enhance it. 

Being a young city, Seattle could learn from older cities in the Northeast about what made them attractive and livable – and parks in Boston and New York designed by the Olmsted firm were notable examples. At the beginning of the twentieth century large tracts of recently logged land were just being developed, plans were forming to lower Lake Washington, and civic pride and prosperity was at its height from the Klondike Gold Rush. Riding on the “City Beautiful Movement” that was sweeping the country, Seattle’s boosters took up the cause for a major park and boulevard system designed by the eminent Olmsted Brothers firm. Frederick Law Olmsted, known as the father of landscape architecture, had designed Central Park in New York City in the mid-1800s and was a strong advocate of parks as a civilizing and healthy influence for cities. Olmsted’s son, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., and stepson-nephew, John Charles Olmsted, joined the firm in the late 1800s and carried on its work, with John Charles doing most of the planning in Seattle. 

John Charles Olmsted had been invited to Seattle by the Board of Park Commissioners in the spring of 1903 to prepare a report on how to beautify the city with a comprehensive system of parks and boulevards. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer covered his visit extensively and enthusiastically, helping to gain public support for the many projects, which included playgrounds and year round recreation system as well as parks and boulevards. He submitted his report in October of that year. The City Council adopted his report and created an independent Parks Department to begin implementing the plan soon after. Work started with the parks the city already owned and continued on parks added to the system through the years.

His enthusiasm for the area shows in an early statement from the newspaper: “I do not know of any place where the natural advantages for parks are better than here. They can be made very attractive and will be, in time, one of the things that will make Seattle known all over the world,” [Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 1, 1903]. John Charles not only appreciated the city’s great natural setting, but also the differences in terrain, neighborhoods and purpose of the various parks. He advocated creating parks that fit in unobtrusively to their surroundings, while preserving as much as possible “the advantages of water and mountain views and of woodlands, well distributed and conveniently located.” [Olmsted Report] 

The key to the plan, John Charles believed, was the boulevard system throughout the city that would provide pleasant drives and link together its many parks. Parks and playgrounds would not only enhance the city, but also property values, by creating an ambiance and opportunities for healthful living. 

In addition to private gardens and entire neighborhoods, Seattle has thirty-five Olmsted parks, the University of Washington campus, and the Washington Park Arboretum, linked together by an extensive boulevard system ringing the city, leaving some of the area’s most stunning vistas and landscapes open for all to see. Maintaining and enhancing the Olmsted vision is a process that continues to this day. As you walk through the urban paths of Seattle, give a thought to how they might have looked without the invaluable Olmsted influence. 
For more information see the Olmsted Exhibit at the top of the Water Tower in Volunteer Park or contact the Seattle Parks Department (phone 206-684-4075) or the Friends of Seattle's Olmsted Parks (P.O. Box 9884, Seattle, WA 98109) for a brochure and information. 

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