Parsons' Garden (1905)

This early 20th-century garden was leased to the city of Seattle in 1956 by the children of Marge and Reginald H. Parsons. Located on the south slope of the Queen Anne neighborhood, the garden was created on the eastern portion of the Parsons’ private estate on Highland Drive. Reginald Parsons was a business leader in the agriculture, mining, and finance industries, and Marge was a founder of the Seattle Fine Arts Society, an organization that later evolved to become the Seattle Art Museum. Ownership of the garden was fully transferred to the city in 1960, with the Parsons’ Garden designated as a Seattle Historic Landmark in 1980.  

Established in 1905 by Marge and Reginald Parsons, this private garden is located on the south slope of Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood. Born on Long Island, New York, Reginald H. Parsons (1873-1955) was a descendent of John Bradford, the first governor of Massachusetts. Parsons began his career in Colorado, where he was involved in real estate and also in selling mining stocks to finance mining operations. In 1904, he moved to Seattle, shortly after his marriage to Maude Bemis, whose family owned the Bemis Bag Company. Upon their relocation to Seattle, the couple opened a Bemis Bag factory and purchased an estate on Highland Drive, where they raised their five children, one of whom died at a young age.

In 1908, Reginald Parsons purchased an orchard near Medford, Oregon, and the family began splitting their time between Seattle and Hillcrest Orchard in Oregon. Reginald and Maude were both engaged in numerous philanthropic causes throughout their lives. Marge was involved with founding the Seattle Children’s Hospital, as well as the Seattle Fine Arts Society, which evolved to become the Seattle Art Museum. Reginald served as the president of the Seattle Boy Scout Council and the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, and he was also appointed to the American Olympic Committee. The couple also provided financial support to several other regional organizations. Their property at Hillcrest Orchard contained a dozen buildings that were later added to the National Register of Historic Places, including a packing house, barn, garages, offices, and farmhouse.

By the 1950s, Marge and Reginald’s private garden had grown to include a total of 16,552 square feet, with bountiful hydrangeas blossoming during the warmer months and shade trees providing a canopy over a quiet courtyard with wooden benches. Following both of their deaths in 1995, the Parsons’ children offered to lease the land to the city as a public park beginning in 1956. The city agreed, and a few years later, full ownership of the garden was transferred to the city in 1960, with future management provided by the Seattle Parks Department. The Parsons’ Garden, as it became known, has since been described as a “hidden gem” in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood. The site was designated a City Landmark in 1980.

Alley, Bill. "Parsons, Reginald (1873-1955)", HistoryLink. February 12th, 2005. Accessed September 11th, 2023. https://www.historylink.org/File/7253.

"Parsons Gardens", Seattle Parks Department. Accessed September 11th, 2023. https://www.seattle.gov/parks/allparks/parsons-gardens.

"Seattle Landmarks: Parsons' Memorial Gardens (1905)", HistoryLink. Accessed September 11th, 2023. https://www.historylink.org/File/3207.