Montlake Playfield
Encyclopedia
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
and playfield on Portage Bay
Portage Bay
Portage Bay is an arm of Seattle, Washington's Lake Union and is part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Its western limit can be said to be the Ship Canal Bridge, which carries Interstate 5 over the water; North Passage Point Park and South Passage Point Park sit on opposite shores between the...
in the Montlake
Montlake, Seattle, Washington
Montlake is an affluent residential neighborhood in central Seattle. It is bounded to the north by Portage Bay and the Montlake Cut section of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, to the east by the Washington Park Arboretum, and to the south and west by Interlaken Park. Capitol Hill is on its south and...
neighborhood of Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, USA.
Originally a 20-foot-deep peat bog, the playfield site was first developed as part of a dahlia
Dahlia
Dahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, perennial plants native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. There are at least 36 species of dahlia, some like D. imperialis up to 10 metres tall. Dahlia hybrids are commonly grown as garden plants...
farm. The farm extended considerably further south than the present playfield: its southernmost part was south of Lynn Street, the land used to build St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church
St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church (Seattle)
Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church is a church in Seattle, Washington. It is part of the Greek Orthodox metropolis or diocese of San Francisco, within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. It is Seattle's oldest Greek Orthodox congregation....
. In the late 1920s, the principal of Garfield High School
Seattle Public Schools
Seattle Public Schools is the school district serving Seattle, Washington, USA. Its headquarters are in the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence.-List of schools:...
declared the need of a playfield and community center, and the farm was chosen. After some controversy and condemnation proceedings, the playfield was dedicated in 1935.
In 1960, to remedy flooding, the playfield began to be raised with fill, including dirt from the excavation of State Route 520 through Montlake. The ground remains uneven and boggy to this day.