From Swords to Plowshares: Warren G. Magnuson Park

Discover Magnuson Park, Seattle’s second largest park at 350 acres, and learn about its transformation from a U.S. Naval Base into a dynamic, complex ecosystem of recreation activities, public-private partnerships, and environmental stewardship activities. Located on the scenic shores of Lake Washington, this tour explores the military and indigenous history of the property, highlights the art-deco style of its buildings, and showcases Seattle Parks and Recreation’s redevelopment of the park property using a public-private partnership to accomplish key parks and recreation initiatives. The park is home to a large indoor soccer arena, fitness club, tennis club, 30 artist studios, an art gallery, radio station, and other organizations that complement parks and recreation uses that include athletic fields, a community center, and a sailing center. The tour will also include a walk-through of the wetlands at the south end of the park with one of the landscape architects from Berger Partnership, the firm that designed this natural feature. The wetlands, built on several acres of land previously covered with impervious concrete, have been hailed by local regulatory agencies as a standard for urban ecology on a former U.S. naval base.