A Gift of Land for Seattle
G.C. Phinney proposes gifting his Lake Avenue Park to the growing city of Seattle, provided the Council commits to its improvement.
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G. C. Phinney informs us that he will, at the next meeting of the Council, propose to give to the city of Seattle his Lake Avenue Park, in the new Maynard Lake Washington addition. This park covers an area equivalent to that of eight full blocks, or nearly seven acres. The offer will be made on one condition: That the city spend $1,000 in the improvement of the park during the coming year, and $1,000 the year after, or $2,000 altogether. The condition is so reasonable that the city is bound to accept without hesitation. It is virtually a gift of the ground. It is time Seattle was doing something in the way of gaining a park, and here now is her opportunity.
“It is time Seattle was doing something in the way of gaining a park, and here now is her opportunity.”
This proposal marked one of Seattle's early efforts to secure public green space. The tension between private development and the city's need for lungs remains a defining characteristic of Seattle's urban planning history.
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