Friends Of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks 2017 Walking Tours will be offering a tour of West Seattle’s Hiawatha Playfield, August 19, 2017 beginning at 10am. The tour is free and open to all ages.

SEATTLE—The Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks (FSOP) has announced its summer walking tour schedule. The tours take place on the third Saturday of each month, from May to September, beginning at 10:00 a.m. They are free and open to the public, appropriate for all ages, and last approximately two hours. Tour guides will share the history of the Olmsted Brothers park and boulevard system and of the park being toured.
This year, FSOP has chosen to tour four parks that play very different roles in the overall system. On June 17th, a tour of Jefferson Park will explore how Olmsted designed that landscape to take advantage of the sweeping views across the city and Puget Sound and how its 2012 redesign incorporated Olmsted’s intentions for the park. On July 15th, the tour will circle Green Lake Park, which was originally designed as a parkway encircling the lake. On August 19th, the tour of Hiawatha Playfield will explore Seattle’s first sports-oriented park. Finally on September 16th, a tour of Washington Park Arboretum will investigate the multi-layered influences of the Olmsted Brothers and others on the park, including the design for Lake Washington Boulevard and the original plan for the arboretum.
It is a year of tours that will illustrate the incredible richness and diversity of our historical park and boulevard system. Tour guides will share photographs, plans, and other images that show how the landscapes embody Olmsted design principals and how the parks have changed over time as the city has grown and the neighborhoods have developed.
FSOP is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving Seattle’s unique Olmsted landscape heritage and raising awareness of the Olmsted philosophy of providing open space for all people. More information about Seattle’s Olmsted parks and boulevards can be found at www.seattleolmsted.org. Email friends@seattleolmsted.org for more information about the tours or other activities.
Tour Details:
June 17 – Jefferson Park – Meet at Jefferson Community Center (south side entrance).
July 15 – Green Lake Park – Meet at Green Lake Community Center (entrance at northeast corner).
August 19 – Hiawatha Playfield – Meet on west side of Hiawatha Community Center.
September 16 – Washington Park Arboretum – Meet at Graham Visitor Center.
*This is the FSOP annual meeting, please join us for potluck lunch after the tour.