That Saturday gathering in northeastern West Seattle was on one level about a plaza –
… but it was really about the people. This corner of West Seattle, now towered over by the high bridge, is Riverside, for decades a home to fishing families, mostly Croatian immigrants, whose descendants have mostly moved on, but won’t let the history (as detailed in the plaque inscription) be forgotten:
They gathered Saturday for the dedication of Riverside Memorial Plaza; the word “memorial” took on an added poignancy, for one of the plaza’s tiles bears the name of Jennie Plenkovich:
That’s the maiden name of Jennie Jaramillo, laid to rest earlier this week at age 75. As noted in her published obituary, she was a founding member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, which overflowed with mourners for her memorial Mass just yesterday. Her uncle Frank Zuvela was a driving force behind the Riverside plaza project, and he was keynote speaker Saturday:
You can visit the Riverside Memorial Plaza at 17th SW/W. Marginal Place (map). Read more about it, and Riverside history, here, here, and see photos from Riverside days gone by, here.
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