The Gift of Block 88
When George Kinnear gifted a plot of land for a city park in 1888, he demanded the city clear the dead trees and build a fence, sparking a long-term vision for Seattle's public spaces.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
It will be remembered that on last Friday Mr. George Kinnear donated to the City of Seattle, through the City Council, for the purpose of a public park, block 88, of Kinnear's addition. The only conditions made by Mr. Kinnear were that the city shall proceed at once to improve said block by cutting down all dead trees, burn up the same, and construct a neat fence on the block and on the side of said street, and complete the same within six months thereafter. These conditions were of such reasonable and sensible a character that the Council agreed to them at once, accepted Mr. Kinnear's liberal donation, and instructed the Street Commissioner to at once proceed to make the above mentioned improvements. Block 88 is on the dome of Queen Anne hill. While the people have learned to consider it a block, it is in reality three blocks. It is 600 feet long and 400 feet wide, and commands a superb view of the bay, the city, and the mountains. It is to be hoped that the time is not far distant when these beautiful resources will be improved and made accessible to our citizens.
“These conditions were of such reasonable and sensible a character that the Council agreed to them at once.”
George Kinnear's gift laid the foundation for what is now the iconic Kinnear Park on Queen Anne Hill. Today, the legacy of that donation persists in the ongoing debates over how Seattle manages, funds, and preserves its public greenspace amidst rapid urban density.
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