The park is located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood at 1635 11th Ave, 98122. It is 7.37 acres.
Often dubbed Seattle’s “newest oldest
Olmsted Park,” the city’s first Olmsted-designed park sensitively combines
historic preservation and new design in the Olmsted idiom. Original paths,
trees and a playfield share the site with a now lidded reservoir, adding four
acres of useable park space. Water remains a central feature via a reflecting
pool and fountain.
Originally named Lincoln Park until the 1920s, the site was finally given a new
name, Cal Anderson Park, when it was transformed in the mid-2000’s. The name
Lincoln Park had been given to a large shoreline park in West Seattle
recommended in the Olmsted 1908 supplementary park plan.
John Charles Olmsted first designed historic Lincoln Park in 1904 and finalized
the layout with the ballfield in 1907. Like Volunteer and Jefferson Park
designs which followed, the landscape incorporated a city reservoir. The park
also provided ballfields (Bobby Morris Playfield), a shelter house with
pergolas, lawns, paths and shrub beds to serve the already populous surrounding
neighborhood. As the park aged, the facilities and good bones were overshadowed
by deterioration and inhospitable activity. Neighbors and Olmsted advocates
joined together in the 1990s to begin restoration efforts that would continue
for another twelve years.
A state requirement to cover open water reservoirs provided the impetus for
Seattle Public Utilities to facilitate design of the ‘new’ four-acre open space
that spans the lidded reservoir. Over nine years, the design team sought to
balance and integrate requirements and goals of numerous agencies, individuals
and community groups: safety, accessibility, beauty, respecting the site’s
history, and retaining the presence of water. The 11-acre site became a
designated Seattle landmark in 1998. The redesign maintains the reservoir
Gatehouse, the central arc of hedge maples and portions of the old reservoir’s
parapet wall. The water feature and reflecting pool ensures that water remains
an integral part of the landscape.
The rebirth of Cal Anderson Park and associated revitalization of the
surrounding neighborhood means the park has become both a crossroads and a
destination. The spacious design accommodates a wide variety of uses and users.
Even while it creates areas for new uses, the overall effect is timeless, an
urban park that honors its historic legacy, embodies its utilitarian function
and meets the needs of the community it will serve for the next 100 years. It
is a much-needed oasis of green space in a densely populated neighborhood where
a diverse community can come together. That said, design cannot address all
societal issues. Challenges continue and improvements and adjustments are
underway to improve park safety.