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synopsis

Originally called Bailey Peninsula, hilly Seward Park boasts some of Seattle’s oldest-growth native forest thanks to John Charles Olmsted, who helped save it from development. It is a prime example of the Olmsted Brothers’ ecological approach to park design, with many woodland trails, an amphitheater and a shoreline trail. Recreational facilities are mostly restricted to the flat isthmus.

Originally called Bailey Peninsula, hilly Seward Park boasts some of Seattle’s oldest-growth native forest thanks to John Charles Olmsted, who helped save it from development. It is a prime example of the Olmsted Brothers’ ecological approach to park design, with many woodland trails, an amphitheater and a shoreline trail. Recreational facilities are mostly restricted to the flat isthmus.

Bailey Peninsula was far outside the Citty limits when Olmsted proposed including it as part of the Comprehensive Park & Boulevard System in 1903. As a 300-acre natural reserve it would form an ideal terminus of what is now Lake Washington Boulevard. Although it was not included in the list of park acquisiions in the first bond issue in 1906, it would subsequently be bought by the City in 1911.

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