Friends of Seattle Olmsted Parks Walking Tour: Cowen & Ravenna Park (in-person)

Sat Jun 04 2022 at 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

UW Botanic Gardens | Seattle

UW Botanic Gardens
Publisher/HostUW Botanic Gardens
Friends of Seattle Olmsted Parks Walking Tour: Cowen & Ravenna Park (in-person)
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Advance registration required, $25.
Join the Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks on the first of three walking tours of Seattle’s Olmsted Brothers parks and parkways this summer!
We’ll start at Cowen Park and describe how its topography has changed dramatically over the years, but with a number of Olmsted park elements remaining intact. We’ll continue down to the Ravenna Park ravine and explore its history as a private park on the outskirts of Seattle and its evolution over time into an oasis of native plants in the middle of the city.
Creating an elaborate park system was probably the furthest thought from their minds when the Denny party arrived at Alki Point on November 13, 1851. All they could see through the rain were trees, more trees, and water. Building a home was far more important than building a place to play. And yet, just 33 years later Seattle had its first park and, 20 years after that, the city had a comprehensive plan for major parks and parkways that would rival any found in the United States.
In 1903, Olmsted recommended that the city acquire a privately-owned “streetcar destination” park for the line running from downtown Seattle. The park, along with Cowen Park, which was donated to the city in 1906, incorporated a winding stream that drained Green Lake at the time, called Ravenna Creek. Olmsted advised on the acquisition and development of Ravenna Park and developed a preliminary plan for Cowen Park.
All times are Pacific time.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

UW Botanic Gardens, 3501 NE 41st St, Seattle, United States

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