Past Events
Delridge “Dell” Tour
Delridge Neighborhood 26th Avenue SW & SW Yancy Street, SeattleThe Olmsted Brothers' 1903 report did not include West Seattle because it was still outside Seattle's city limits. But when the neighborhood was annexed in 1907, Olmsted was hired back to add to his original park and boulevard plan. He recommended connecting boulevards between the City's east side and West Seattle. In addition to the […]
Aids Memorial Pathway Tour
Cal Anderson Park 1635 11th Ave, SeattleThe Capitol Hill Historical Society is is excited to announce this opportunity to walk Capitol Hill's AIDS Memorial Pathway with former City Council member Tom Rasmussen.
Spring Restoration Day at Volunteer Park
Volunteer Park 1247 15th Ave. E, SeattleClearing out the invasives at the May cleanup. Courtesy Volunteer Park Trust Come garden with us at Volunteer Park Trust’s Spring Restoration Day on Saturday, April 29. This annual clean-up event is a major community effort to make Volunteer Park more beautiful for everyone. A great activity for kids and families, come join friends and […]
Magnolia Boulevard Madrone Walk
Magnolia Boulevard W Glenmont Ln & Magnolia Blvd W, SeattleSeattle’s Olmsted Parks and Boulevards was imagined as a system of beautiful landscapes and boulevards in the late 1800s. Magnolia Boulevard is home to some of the most picturesque views foregrounded by madrone with an expansive Puget Sound backdrop. In late November, Seattle Parks and Recreation installed a series of planting beds to protect larger […]
Work Party at Cal Anderson Park
Cal Anderson Park 1635 11th Ave, SeattleMeet at NE Entrance Bring gardening equipment (gloves, clippers, rakes, etc.), sun screen and bottled water. We're weeding and mulching the planting beds and edging the walkways. Please RSVP to: susanmnichols@gmail.com
Love in Bloom – Opening Night Party
Washington State Convention Center 705 Pike Street, SeattleA benefit for Washington Park Arboretum February 14, 2023 5 to 9 PM Washington State Convention Center Tickets: Patron $250 ~ Benefactor $500 ~ Table of Ten $2,500 The Northwest Flower & Garden Festival returns to the Convention Center in mid-February, and for the first time since the start of the pandemic, the Arboretum Foundation […]
Walter Willcox: The Man Behind the Walls
The Willcox Wall on Queen Anne is one of its most beloved public landmarks. Its early construction is well documented but the story of its designer, Walter R.B. Willcox, is often shrouded in myth. What inspired him to create this beautiful civic architecture? Architectural historian Marvin Anderson has researched more than 200 letters held by […]
Halloween Pet Parade in Volunteer Park
Volunteer Park 1247 15th Ave. E, SeattleJoin the Volunteer Park Trust for the return of the Halloween Pet Parade – in the NEW amphitheater! We are excited to see the clever costumes and adorable animals. Enter Your Pet in the Costume Competition! Please register at the event. Entry into the costume competition is free. No registration is needed to join the […]
E.B. Dunn Gardens Tour – Sunday, September 18, 2022
E.B. Dunn Gardens 13533 Northshire Road NW, Seattle, United StatesJoin us for an in-person guided tour of the E. B. Dunn Gardens. About the Dunn Gardens tour: Please park on Northshire Road and walk through the white gates to enter the garden. This tour is appropriate for all ages. These walks are free and open to all, and will happen rain or shine. Please […]
Mount Pleasant Cemetery tour on Queen Anne
Mount Pleasant Cemetery 700 West Raye St., Seattle, WAJoin historian Kim Turner and the Queen Anne Historical Society on this tour through the beautiful grounds of Mount Pleasant Cemetery in north Queen Anne. Kim will point out interesting historical sites of early movers and shakers of our city. We will meet at the south entrance to the cemetery at 700 West Raye Street […]
Rainier Beach Neighborhood Tour – Saturday, August 20, 2022
Join us as we explore the Rainier Beach neighborhood! About the Rainier Beach tour: Meet at the NE corner of the intersection of Rainier Beach Avenue and South Henderson Street. The distance is approximately 2.5 miles. The tour will last approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours. The tour is appropriate for all ages. These walks […]
Friends of Seattle Olmsted Parks Walking Tour: Volunteer Park
Volunteer Park 1247 15th Ave. E, SeattleVolunteer Park is often referred to as the crown jewel of Seattle’s Olmsted park and boulevard system, as its most complete and best-preserved Olmsted-designed landscape. Land purchased in 1876 was originally used as a cemetery, but in their 1903 report to the Seattle Board of Park Commissioners, the Olmsted Brothers proposed extensive improvements to the […]
Free Public Art and Tree Tour
Parsons Garden 1191 7th Ave. West, SeattleExplore Parsons Garden and artwork at the Betty Bowen Viewpoint! The free public tour will take approximately one hour as we circle through the park to learn about its history and trees. The background of artists and their work will be disucced at the Berry Viewpoint.
Green Lake Tour – Saturday, June 18, 2022
Green Lake 7201 East Green Lake Dr N, Seattle, WA, United StatesJoin Friends of Seattle's Olmsted Parks for an in-person guided tour of Green Lake About the Green Lake tour: Meet at the north entry to Green Lake Community Center. The distance around the lake is 2.8 miles. The tour will last approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours. It is appropriate for all ages. These walks […]
Support Seattle’s Olmsted Parks & Boulevards with your GiveBig Donation
OnlineThe Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks (FSOP) is dedicated to preserving Seattle’s unique Olmsted landscape heritage that provides vital open space for everyone. The public’s need for these parks and boulevards this past year illustrates the need for all of us to support Seattle’s open spaces. Your 2021 donation through the GiveBig Campaign will help […]
FSOP to Participate in GiveBIG Washington
Parks and open spaces have always been vital to people's health and well-being and are especially so in this challenging time. The Seattle parks system is now over 100 years old, originally designed by the Olmsted Brothers’ Landscape Architecture firm in 1903. Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks (FSOP) is dedicated to educating people and preserving […]
Call for Submissions – Earth Day
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day and Appreciation of Seattle’s Parks Do you have a favorite photo, memory, or personal artwork that involves one of our Olmsted parks or boulevards, or any of our city parks? In these days of self-containment, do you find yourself growing introspective about Seattle’s striking surroundings or its […]
Olmsted Book Launch Announced
Seattle Public Library 1000 4th Ave, Seattle, United StatesHistoryLink, Documentary Media and FSOP are proud to announce the upcoming launch of Olmsted in Seattle: Creating a Park System for a Modern City, which tells the story of Seattle's Olmsted Brothers-designed public park system. Join us for a book launch featuring a talk by its author, historian Jennifer Ott, who will discuss how research […]
Olmsted in Seattle Book Talk at CUH
Center for Urban Horticulture 3501 NE 41st St, Seattle, WA, United StatesJoin us for a talk by historian Jennifer Ott about stories she uncovered in her research for Olmsted in Seattle. In the midst of galloping growth at the turn of the 20th century, Seattle's city leaders seized on the confluence of a roaring economy with the City Beautiful movement to hire the Olmsted Brothers landscape […]
Join Us on September 21 for our Walking Tour of the UW Campus & FSOP Annual Meeting
University of Washington WA, United StatesView of Rainier Vista, UW Campus, from Drumheller Fountain. This walking tour will be followed by our annual meeting and potluck, which all are welcome to attend. On the tour, learn about the Olmsted Brothers' design of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in 1909 and experience its lasting legacy, the central axial green of Rainier Vista. […]
