Last updated: June 5, 2024
Place
Fort Lawton
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
Anchoring Olmsted Brothers’ 1903 plan for Seattle Parks is Fort Lawton, with twenty miles of trails and drives providing access to the area’s water views, beaches, and forests. In 1910, John Charles Olmsted of Olmsted Brothers began preparing a plan for Fort Lawton. John Charles felt obtaining public access to Fort Lawton was important, and he urged Park Commissioners to “secure and preserve for the use of the people as much as possible…of water and mountain views and of woodlands,”.
While designing Fort Lawton’s boulevards, parade grounds, and building alignments, John Charles was able to take advantage of the terrain’s dramatic topography and expansive views. Starting in 1968, the military cut back on using Fort Lawton. The City of Seattle was able to acquire the land without cost, promising to turn it into a public park. Now known as Discovery Park, Fort Lawton fulfilled John Charles’ desire as the anchor of the city-wide system.
Source: "Discovery Park," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr Olmsted Online
While designing Fort Lawton’s boulevards, parade grounds, and building alignments, John Charles was able to take advantage of the terrain’s dramatic topography and expansive views. Starting in 1968, the military cut back on using Fort Lawton. The City of Seattle was able to acquire the land without cost, promising to turn it into a public park. Now known as Discovery Park, Fort Lawton fulfilled John Charles’ desire as the anchor of the city-wide system.
Source: "Discovery Park," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr Olmsted Online