Pianos in the Parks: West Seattle, White Center parks included

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(The Alki piano – photo courtesy Pianos in the Parks)
If you weren’t already planning to spend part of your summer at city/county parks – a public/private-partnership plan announced today is meant to give you a reason to visit. It’s called Pianos in the Parks, and it’s placed 20 donated and decorated pianos in 20 Seattle and King County parks, for one month, starting today. The parks, listed here, include Alki Beach Park in West Seattle and Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center. Since those are both fairly sizable parks, we asked a Pianos in the Parks spokesperson where to find the pianos. Reply: “The Alki piano is located just across from Spud Fish & Chips at the edge of the grassy area and the Steve Cox piano is roughly in the middle of the park by the picnic huts and the playground.” (Above, that’s the Alki piano, decorated by artist Kerstin M. Graudins, before it was to be placed at the beach, where we’re hoping to get a photo of it this evening.) And yes, the pianos are playable – that’s even at the heart of a contest. What happens to them after August 17th? They’re being auctioned off; you can bid on any or all of them online by clicking any individual park photo here to see its piano.

westseattledood July 17, 2014 (8:12 pm)

Wow, do I LOVE this idea!!!!

I really really hope peeps send WSB video of impromptu concerts with sound and surroundings.

What an inspired idea!

I just cleaned my piano yesterday. :) I could have procrastinated another day and gone to the beach to play! How awesome is that?!!?

Let’s hear for the most non-portable instrument being made portable! NICE!

alki Resident July 17, 2014 (8:22 pm)

Will they stay overnite in these parks? If so, what will keep them fro being vandalized or stolen?

WSB July 17, 2014 (8:25 pm)

Don’t know. We just went looking for the one in Alki this past hour and couldn’t find it, so maybe it’s not a 24-hour installation; I’m asking the project PR people.

Sarah July 17, 2014 (8:58 pm)

What a brilliant idea! We are going to go find these and have a play.

m July 17, 2014 (10:24 pm)

LOVE this!

Jennie July 18, 2014 (8:24 am)

This is so exciting and I can’t wait to go play!!

JanS July 18, 2014 (11:31 am)

what about weather? will they be out in the rain(it’s Seattle)? Little questions…

also, many of the pianos are up for bid, which start, it seems, at $250…on the website.

WSB July 18, 2014 (11:37 am)

The auction is in the story – at least it was when I wrote it yesterday. I checked back with the PR people. The pianos will be out for the duration. She apologized that while she had told us the Alki one was installed yesterday – it actually hadn’t been yet, and is supposed to show up today. At some point when things calm down we will go look for it.

ACG July 18, 2014 (5:01 pm)

I love this idea, but I predict that by the end of their display time any of them sitting out will have been vandalized in some way. Unfortunately it seems that the bad apples out there ruin neat things for the rest of us. I hope I am wrong!!!!!!

WSB July 18, 2014 (5:06 pm)

ACG, really, it doesn’t always happen that way. I remember the same kind of comments when the tables and chairs were placed out in Junction Plaza Park a couple years ago; to date, they’re still there.

ACG July 19, 2014 (11:45 am)

I hope you are right, WSB!!! I love the idea and hope the piano’s remain in good condition so that many can enjoy them and that the auction is a success.