Hiawatha Playfield: Difference between revisions
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'''Hiawatha Playfield and Community Center''' is a 10.3-acre public park and recreation center in the [[Admiral District, Seattle|Admiral District]] of [[West Seattle]], [[Seattle]], Washington. Designed by the [[Olmsted Brothers]] and dedicated in 1911, Hiawatha is recognized as the oldest municipal community center building west of the [[Mississippi River]].<ref name="seattlegov">{{cite web |title=Hiawatha Community Center |url=https://www.seattle.gov/parks/community-centers/hiawatha-community-center |publisher=Seattle Parks and Recreation |access-date=2026-08-18}}</ref> The site was designated an official Seattle Landmark in 1984.<ref name="olmsted">{{cite web |title=Hiawatha Playfield |url=https://seattleolmsted.org/parks/hiawatha-playfield/ |publisher=Friends of Seattle's Olmsted Parks |access-date=2026-08-18}}</ref> | '''Hiawatha Playfield and Community Center''' (formerly '''West Seattle Playfield''')<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hendrickson |first=Peter |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Emerald_City_Trail/k4z8EQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Hiawatha+playfield&pg=PT196&printsec=frontcover |title=Emerald City Trail: A Walking Guide Through Seattle & Our Olmsted History |date=2026-09-01 |publisher=Mountaineers Books |isbn=978-1-68051-888-7 |language=en}}</ref> is a 10.3-acre public park and recreation center in the [[Admiral District, Seattle|Admiral District]] of [[West Seattle]], [[Seattle]], Washington.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Commissioners |first=Seattle (Wash ) Park |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Report/wfU4AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Hiawatha+playfield%22&pg=PA39&printsec=frontcover |title=Report |date=1912 |language=en}}</ref> Designed by the [[Olmsted Brothers]] and dedicated in 1911,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-01 |title=At West Seattle's groundbreaking Hiawatha Playfield, the trees are key |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/at-west-seattles-groundbreaking-hiawatha-playfield-the-trees-are-key/ |access-date=2026-09-12 |website=The Seattle Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Hiawatha is recognized as the oldest municipal community center building west of the [[Mississippi River]].<ref name="seattlegov">{{cite web |title=Hiawatha Community Center |url=https://www.seattle.gov/parks/community-centers/hiawatha-community-center |publisher=Seattle Parks and Recreation |access-date=2026-08-18}}</ref> The site was designated an official Seattle Landmark in 1984.<ref name="olmsted">{{cite web |title=Hiawatha Playfield |url=https://seattleolmsted.org/parks/hiawatha-playfield/ |publisher=Friends of Seattle's Olmsted Parks |access-date=2026-08-18}}</ref> | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
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* Full-sized synthetic athletic fields for soccer, football, and baseball, complete with an all-weather running track (jointly used with adjacent [[West Seattle High School]]).<ref name="seattlegov" /> | * Full-sized synthetic athletic fields for soccer, football, and baseball, complete with an all-weather running track (jointly used with adjacent [[West Seattle High School]]).<ref name="seattlegov" /> | ||
* Outdoor tennis courts. | * Outdoor tennis courts. | ||
* Children's playground and seasonal wading pool. | * Children's playground and seasonal wading pool.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Volk |first=David |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Cheap_Bastard_s_Guide_to_Seattle/KLKsAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Hiawatha+playfield&pg=PA257&printsec=frontcover |title=Cheap Bastard's® Guide to Seattle: Secrets of Living the Good Life—for Less! |date=2013-11-05 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-4930-0658-8 |language=en}}</ref> | ||
* Landscaped walking paths, picnic tables, and open lawn areas incorporating historic plantings. | * Landscaped walking paths, picnic tables, and open lawn areas incorporating historic plantings. | ||
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Template:Short description Template:Infobox park
Hiawatha Playfield and Community Center (formerly West Seattle Playfield)[1] is a 10.3-acre public park and recreation center in the Admiral District of West Seattle, Seattle, Washington.[2] Designed by the Olmsted Brothers and dedicated in 1911,[3] Hiawatha is recognized as the oldest municipal community center building west of the Mississippi River.[4] The site was designated an official Seattle Landmark in 1984.[5]
History
Following the 1907 annexation of West Seattle, landscape architecture firm Olmsted Brothers recommended acquiring a 10.3-acre tract of second-growth forest in their 1908 park system expansion report.[5] The preliminary landscape and grading plans were completed between 1910 and 1911. Originally referred to as the West Seattle Playfield, Park Commissioner Ferdinand Schmitz proposed naming the park after the hero of Longfellow's poem The Song of Hiawatha.[6]
Dedicated in 1911 as the largest public playfield in Seattle at the time, Hiawatha was praised as a model recreation center in the Pacific Northwest.[6] During World War II, the facility was temporarily repurposed by the War Department to quarter military officers and house troops in tents on the lawn.[6] In 1948, Seattle voters passed a bond issue that funded the remodeling of the field house and the addition of a full-size gymnasium, which reopened in 1949.[6]
In 1984, the playfield and community center complex were designated a City of Seattle Landmark.[5]
Facilities and features
The park and community center offer a wide range of recreational amenities:
Community Center
- Top floor: Features an auditorium and stage, along with a galley kitchenette.[4]
- Main floor: Contains multi-purpose rooms for child care, youth programming, and classes.[4]
- Lower level: Houses a full-size gymnasium utilized for adult and youth sports (such as table tennis, basketball, and volleyball), toddler playtimes, and community athletic leagues, alongside fitness facilities.[4]
Playfield
- Full-sized synthetic athletic fields for soccer, football, and baseball, complete with an all-weather running track (jointly used with adjacent West Seattle High School).[4]
- Outdoor tennis courts.
- Children's playground and seasonal wading pool.[7]
- Landscaped walking paths, picnic tables, and open lawn areas incorporating historic plantings.
Location
Hiawatha Playfield is located along California Avenue SW, immediately north of West Seattle High School and within walking distance of the Admiral District commercial core.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ Hendrickson, Peter (2026-09-01) (in en). Emerald City Trail: A Walking Guide Through Seattle & Our Olmsted History. Mountaineers Books. ISBN 978-1-68051-888-7. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Emerald_City_Trail/k4z8EQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Hiawatha+playfield&pg=PT196&printsec=frontcover.
- ↑ Commissioners, Seattle (Wash ) Park (1912) (in en). Report. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Report/wfU4AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Hiawatha+playfield%22&pg=PA39&printsec=frontcover.
- ↑ "At West Seattle's groundbreaking Hiawatha Playfield, the trees are key" (in en-US). 2023-06-01. https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/at-west-seattles-groundbreaking-hiawatha-playfield-the-trees-are-key/.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "Hiawatha Community Center". Seattle Parks and Recreation. https://www.seattle.gov/parks/community-centers/hiawatha-community-center.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Hiawatha Playfield". Friends of Seattle's Olmsted Parks. https://seattleolmsted.org/parks/hiawatha-playfield/.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Hiawatha Playfield History File". Seattle Municipal Archives. https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/CityArchive/Sherwood/HiawathaPF.pdf.
- ↑ Volk, David (2013-11-05) (in en). Cheap Bastard's® Guide to Seattle: Secrets of Living the Good Life—for Less!. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4930-0658-8. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Cheap_Bastard_s_Guide_to_Seattle/KLKsAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Hiawatha+playfield&pg=PA257&printsec=frontcover.