Kurt Cobain Memorial Bench

Located in the Denny Blaine neighborhood of Seattle, this 1.8-acre park has garnered much attention in its lifetime. Including previously housing prominent members of Seattle history such as Howard Schultz, the founder of Starbucks Coffee, and singer Kurt Cobain, the frontman of the highly successful Seattle grunge band, Nirvana. The most notable feature in this park is the benches dedicated to the late Cobain, which are decorated to celebrate the singer’s life and musical career.

The first people who occupied what would come to be known as the Denny Blaine neighborhood were a group of Duwamish people called the Hah-Tshu-Ab'sh, or Lake People who lived there for thousands of years. It was only in 1901 when Viretta and Charles Denny, along with Elbert Blaine bought property under their company the Denny-Blaine Land Company. The neighborhood is built into the hillside, filled with many affluent houses and little parks.

One of these parks, Viretta Park—named after founder Viretta Denny— is only around 1.8 acres, but has garnered much attention in its lifetime. Viretta Park sits very close to the former homes of notable Seattle residents Howard Schultz and Kurt Cobain. After Cobain’s unfortunate death in 1994, the benches in the park were dedicated to the late singer. These benches are heavily graffitied with messages to, about, or referencing Cobain. Fans of Nirvana gather on April 5th, the date of his death, to celebrate the life of the singer.

During the course of Kurt Cobain’s life, he became one of the founding fathers of the Seattle grunge scene that emerged in the late 1990’s. He, along with Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, formed the band Nirvana, which would go on to be an incredibly famous name in popular culture. Along with the likes of Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice In Chains, Nirvana created a distinct clothing and music style, which defined a large part of alternative subculture in the 90’s

Henry, Mary T. Viretta Park (Seattle), History Link. July 1st 2012. Accessed April 24th 2022. https://www.historylink.org/File/10134.

Kurt Cobain's Benches, Atlas Obscura. January 2nd 2018. Accessed April 24th 2022. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/kurt-cobains-bench.

Viretta Park (aka Kurt Cobain Park), Seattle Unexplored. May 23rd 2019. Accessed April 24th 2022. http://seattleunexplored.com/viretta-park-aka-kurt-cobain-park/.

Rochester, Junius. Seattle Neighborhoods: Denny-Blaine--Thumbnail History, History Link. February 19th 2001. Accessed April 24th 2022. https://www.historylink.org/File/2996#:~:text=Denny%2DBlaine%20grew%20in%20the,commercial%20activities%20along%20its%20route.