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Department of Parks and Recreation Property Acquisition Records, 1908-1977

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Seattle (Wash.). Department of Parks and Recreation
Title
Department of Parks and Recreation Property Acquisition Records
Dates
1908-1977 (inclusive)
1966-1975 (bulk)
Quantity
14 cubic feet, (14 boxes)
Collection Number
5804-07
Summary
Records documenting the acquisition of properties for park purposes.
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for processing this record series was provided through a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
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Historical Note

The Department of Parks and Recreation maintains the City's parks, shorelines, and boulevards; and administers community centers, public golf courses, and other athletic and cultural facilities. Seattle's first park was established in 1884 after David Denny donated land to the City for that purpose. At that time, a three-member park committee, with limited authority, was created to manage the nascent park system. A Board of Parks Commissioners was established in 1890 with control over all public parks and authority to appoint a Parks Superintendent. In 1896, the City Charter created the position of Superintendent of Streets, Sewers and Parks. The Parks Department became a separate entity in 1904. In 1926, a City Charter amendment abolished the position of Superintendent, distributing its responsibilities between the Head Gardener and the Landscape Architect. A 1948 City Charter amendment required the Board of Park Commissioners to appoint a park superintendent to administer the department. In 1967, another City Charter Amendment reconstituted the Board as an advisory body to the Mayor and City Council, changed the agency name to Department of Parks and Recreation, and placed fiscal and operational administration under the superintendent. In 1902 the City hired the Olmsted Brothers, the country's premier landscape architectural firm, to design a parks and boulevards system. Although not all of the plan was implemented, the Olmsted legacy is evident in many of Seattle's parks and boulevards. The City acquired significant amounts of property for park purposes following the turn of the 20th Century, but in 1926 further acquisition was limited by a City Charter amendment that stipulated only money in the Park Fund could be used for that purpose. However, in the 1970s the Forward Thrust Bond issue, along with federal grants and the Seattle Model City Program, supported the largest expansion of the Park system in Seattle history. These programs funded more than 70 new parks and park facilities. The Department manages over 6,000 acres of park land, over two dozen community centers, five municipal golf courses, the Aquarium, and many other recreational and athletic facilities.

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Content Description

Records include correspondence, memoranda, reports, deeds, property appraisals, architectural plans and other documents relating to the creation and development of recreational sites within Seattle's system of parks. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the park network began a phase of significant expansion of facilities on a level unseen since the 1920s. This growth was due in large part to an influx of funding from the federal Model Cities Program for urban development, as well as a $118 million Forward Thrust bond initiative that passed in 1968. The documents in this collection detail the planning, appraisal, acquisition, and maintenance of targeted properties prior to their development and public use as parkland. A majority of the records concern the negotiation with property owners for purchase of land, though smaller sections on structure demolition, relocation of businesses and inhabitants, and management of park-owned properties that are still occupied are also present. Notable subject sites include Carkeek Park, Occidental Square, Montlake Playfield, and Genesee Park. The records derive primarily from the period 1966 to 1975.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Property Acquisition Records, Record Series 5804-07. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Files are organized according to the activity documented (acquisition, demolition, relocation, property management), and then alphabetically according to park name.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Golf courses--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Greenbelts--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Parks --Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Playgrounds--Washington (State)--Seattle

Corporate Names

  • Seattle (Wash.). Department of Parks and Recreation
  • Seattle Model City Program

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)

Finding aid prepared by Jonathan King
2011

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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