Denny Park

Established in 1904, Denny Park is a five-acre parcel of land near Seattle's business district. The park began as Seattle's first cemetery, located on land donated by David and Louisa Denny. After the cemetery was relocated due to a need for more space, a park was designed in its place by the Olmsted Brothers, a renowned landscape architectural firm based in Brookline, Massachusetts. A picturesque park with formal paths and shade trees, Denny Park includes over 140 different varieties of trees, including Japanese snowbell, Sawara cypress, honey locust, yellow poplar, canoe birch, Chinese lacquer tree, Austrian black pine, and giant sequoia.

In 1884, David and Louisa Denny gifted land to the city of Seattle for the creation of a municipal cemetery that was later relocated, with the land converted into a public park. In 1903, Seattle's Board of Park Commissioners recommended that the city hire the Olmsted Brothers, a renowned landscape architectural firm based in Brookline, Massachusetts, to design Seattle's first public park. The Olmsted Brothers had inherited their landscape design firm from their father, Frederick Law Olmsted, who was best known for designing New York City's Central Park in the 1850s. Since taking over the firm, the Olmsted Brothers had designed other urban green spaces in the U.S., aligning with a growing public interest in outdoor recreation and leisure.

During the second half of the 19th century, many American cities had established urban parks as places for strolling, social gatherings, musical concerts, and carriage drives. This trend continued at the turn of the 20th century, as increasing industrialization led people to seek opportunities to spend time outdoors. In response to Seattle's purchase of two large parcels of land (which later became Woodland and Washington Parks), the city contracted with the Olmsted Brothers to complete a survey of Seattle's "park possibilities." Looking to the future, the city was also anticipating the need to prepare for the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, a World's Fair event that was held in 1909 on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle.

Opened to the public in 1904, Denny Park featured formal gardens and strolling paths with shade trees that drew visitors from throughout the city. A playground area and sandlot baseball field also drew families. By the 1930s, the park was regraded, with the elevation lowered to street level and the hilly paths leveled out. The cupola from the Denny School, which stood on Battery Street between 5th and 6th Avenues, was also installed in the park. Almost a century later, Denny Park underwent another major renovation in 2017, when people called upon the city to revitalize the park, which had decreased in public usage since its heyday. The plans entailed improvements to park lighting and the widening of pathways; installing a new automated irrigation system, parking lot, and driveway; and providing more space for food trucks and larger public events.

Denny Park, Friends of Denny Park. Accessed July 13th, 2023. https://seattleolmsted.org/parks/denny-park/.

Denny Park, History Link. Accessed July 13th, 2023. https://historylink.tours/stop/denny-park-2/.

Mapes, Lynda V. . "Once a cemetery, Denny Park — Seattle’s oldest — gets a modern makeover", Seattle Times. May 22nd, 2017. Accessed July 14th, 2023. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/once-a-cemetery-denny-park-seattles-oldest-gets-a-modern-makeover/.

Park History, City of Seattle. Accessed July 13th, 2023. https://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/park-history.