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|File:Hiawatha Playfield in 1913.png|Hiawatha Playfield in 1913<ref>{{cite journal |last=Cotterill |first=Roland |title=Practical Types of Recreation Building |journal=Park and Cemetery and Landscape Gardening |volume=23 |issue=3 |date=May 1913 |page=[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/coo.31924066365101?urlappend=%3Bseq=140%3Bownerid=120249281-150 76]}}</ref>
|File:Hiawatha Playfield in 1913.png|Hiawatha Playfield in 1913<ref>{{cite journal |last=Cotterill |first=Roland |title=Practical Types of Recreation Building |journal=Park and Cemetery and Landscape Gardening |volume=23 |issue=3 |date=May 1913 |page=[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/coo.31924066365101?urlappend=%3Bseq=140%3Bownerid=120249281-150 76]}}</ref>
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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.<ref name="olmsted" /> Eleven preliminary landscape and grading plans were completed between 1910 and 1911.<ref name="Lawliss, Loughlin & Meier 2008">{{cite book |editor-last1=Lawliss |editor-first1=Lucy |editor-last2=Loughlin |editor-first2=Caroline |editor-last3=Meier |editor-first3=Lauren |title=The Master List of Design Projects of the Olmsted Firm, 1857-1979 |publisher=National Association for Olmsted Parks, National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site |publication-place=Washington, D.C |edition=2nd |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-615-15543-2 |oclc=190396376 |page=[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/wu.89105768915?urlappend=%3Bseq=101%3Bownerid=13510798901247604-109 79] |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/wu.89105768915 |via=[[HathiTrust]]}}</ref> Originally referred to as the West Seattle Playfield,{{sfn|Ott|2019|p=122}} Park Commissioner Ferdinand Schmitz proposed naming the park after the hero of [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow|Longfellow's]] poem ''[[The Song of Hiawatha]]''.<ref name="sherwood">{{cite web |title=Hiawatha Playfield History File |url=https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/CityArchive/Sherwood/HiawathaPF.pdf |publisher=Seattle Municipal Archives |access-date=2026-08-18 |archive-date=2026-04-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260415231855/https://seattle.gov/documents/Departments/CityArchive/Sherwood/HiawathaPF.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
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.<ref name="olmsted" /> Eleven preliminary landscape and grading plans were completed between 1910 and 1911.<ref name="Lawliss, Loughlin & Meier 2008">{{cite book |editor-last1=Lawliss |editor-first1=Lucy |editor-last2=Loughlin |editor-first2=Caroline |editor-last3=Meier |editor-first3=Lauren |title=The Master List of Design Projects of the Olmsted Firm, 1857-1979 |publisher=National Association for Olmsted Parks, National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site |publication-place=Washington, D.C |edition=2nd |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-615-15543-2 |oclc=190396376 |page=[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/wu.89105768915?urlappend=%3Bseq=101%3Bownerid=13510798901247604-109 79] |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/wu.89105768915 |via=[[HathiTrust]]}}</ref> Originally referred to as the West Seattle Playfield,{{sfn|Ott|2019|p=122}} Park Commissioner Ferdinand Schmitz proposed naming the park after the [[Hiawatha|hero]] of [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow|Longfellow's]] poem ''[[The Song of Hiawatha]]''.<ref name="sherwood">{{cite web |title=Hiawatha Playfield History File |url=https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/CityArchive/Sherwood/HiawathaPF.pdf |publisher=Seattle Municipal Archives |access-date=2026-08-18 |archive-date=2026-04-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260415231855/https://seattle.gov/documents/Departments/CityArchive/Sherwood/HiawathaPF.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>


The then 11.317 park was dedicated in 1911 as the largest public playfield in Seattle.<ref name="10th annual report">{{cite book |title=Tenth Annual Report of the Board of Park Commissioners |year=1913 |publisher=Board of Park Commissioners |publication-place=Seattle, WA |url={{GBurl|id=p_U4AQAAMAA}}|page=[{{GBurl|id=p_U4AQAAMAAJ|pg=PA5}} 54]}}</ref> Hiawatha was praised as a model recreation center in the Pacific Northwest.<ref name="sherwood" /> During [[World War II]], the facility was temporarily repurposed by the [[United States Department of War|War Department]] to quarter military officers and house troops in tents on the lawn.<ref name="sherwood" /> 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.<ref name="sherwood" />
The then 11.317 park was dedicated in 1911 as the largest public playfield in Seattle.<ref name="10th annual report">{{cite book |title=Tenth Annual Report of the Board of Park Commissioners |year=1913 |publisher=Board of Park Commissioners |publication-place=Seattle, WA |url={{GBurl|id=p_U4AQAAMAA}}|page=[{{GBurl|id=p_U4AQAAMAAJ|pg=PA5}} 54]}}</ref> Hiawatha was praised as a model recreation center in the Pacific Northwest.<ref name="sherwood" /> During [[World War II]], the facility was temporarily repurposed by the [[United States Department of War|War Department]] to quarter military officers and house troops in tents on the lawn.<ref name="sherwood" /> 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.<ref name="sherwood" />

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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][3] Designed by the Olmsted Brothers and dedicated in 1911,[1][4] Hiawatha is recognized as the oldest municipal community center building west of the Mississippi River.[5] The site was designated an official Seattle Landmark in 1984.[6]

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.[5]

History

Template:Gallery 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.[6] Eleven preliminary landscape and grading plans were completed between 1910 and 1911.[7] Originally referred to as the West Seattle Playfield,Template:Sfn Park Commissioner Ferdinand Schmitz proposed naming the park after the hero of Longfellow's poem The Song of Hiawatha.[8]

The then 11.317 park was dedicated in 1911 as the largest public playfield in Seattle.[9] Hiawatha was praised as a model recreation center in the Pacific Northwest.[8] 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.[8] 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.[8]

In 1984, the playfield and community center complex were designated a City of Seattle Landmark.[6] On May 31 of that same year, the Friends of Seattle's Olmsted Parks and the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation cosponsored the first event celebrating of the Olmsted legacy in Seattle at Hiawatha Playfield, followed by a national conference highlighting "Olmsted Parks of the West."Template:Sfn

The park underwent a renovation in 2009 and a turf replacement in 2023.[10][11] It served as a gathering site for the 'We’re Still Standing' demonstration organized by West Seattle Indivisible in 2026.[12][13]

Facilities and features

Hiawatha Community Center, 2008

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.[5]
  • Main floor: Contains multi-purpose rooms for child care, youth programming, and classes.[5]
  • 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.[5]

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).[5]
  • Outdoor tennis courts.
  • Children's playground and seasonal wading pool.[14]
  • Landscaped walking paths, picnic tables, and open lawn areas incorporating historic plantings.

See also

Portal Washington (state) portal


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hendrickson, Peter (2026). Emerald City Trail: A Walking Guide Through Seattle & Our Olmsted History. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books. ISBN 978-1-68051-888-7. OCLC 1609782912. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Emerald_City_Trail/k4z8EQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Hiawatha+playfield&pg=PT196&printsec=frontcover. 
  2. ↑ 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. 
  3. ↑ "National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form". United States Department of the Interior (National Park Service). https://dahp.wa.gov/sites/default/files/WA_KingCounty_SeattleOlmstedParks_MPD_FINAL.pdf. 
  4. ↑ Eals, Clay (2023-06-01). "At West Seattle's groundbreaking Hiawatha Playfield, the trees are key". The Seattle Times. https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/at-west-seattles-groundbreaking-hiawatha-playfield-the-trees-are-key/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "Hiawatha Community Center". Seattle Parks and Recreation. https://www.seattle.gov/parks/community-centers/hiawatha-community-center. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Hiawatha Playfield". Friends of Seattle's Olmsted Parks. https://seattleolmsted.org/parks/hiawatha-playfield/. 
  7. ↑ The Master List of Design Projects of the Olmsted Firm, 1857-1979 (2nd ed.). Washington, D.C: National Association for Olmsted Parks, National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site. 2008. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-615-15543-2. OCLC 190396376. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/wu.89105768915. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Hiawatha Playfield History File". Seattle Municipal Archives. https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/CityArchive/Sherwood/HiawathaPF.pdf. 
  9. ↑ [[[:Template:GBurl]] Tenth Annual Report of the Board of Park Commissioners]. Seattle, WA: Board of Park Commissioners. 1913. p. [[[:Template:GBurl]] 54]. Template:GBurl. 
  10. ↑ "Hiawatha Turf Playfield is open" (in en). https://www.westsideseattle.com/robinson-papers/2009/12/19/hiawatha-turf-playfield-open. 
  11. ↑ "FOLLOWUP: Hiawatha Playfield reopening after turf replacement" (in en-US). https://westseattleblog.com/2023/09/followup-hiawatha-playfield-reopening-after-turf-replacement/. 
  12. ↑ "WEEKEND PREVIEW: 'We're Still Standing' march and rally in West Seattle on Saturday" (in en-US). https://westseattleblog.com/2026/01/weekend-preview-were-still-standing-march-and-rally-in-west-seattle-on-saturday/. 
  13. ↑ "Minneapolis shooting fuels anti-ICE protests across Seattle area". January 24, 2026. https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/minneapolis-shooting-anti-ice-protests-seattle/281-3f8af449-c9fe-4b60-b5bb-edcc8f7f7a13. 
  14. ↑ 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. 

Sources

  • Ott, Jennifer (2019). Olmsted in Seattle: Creating a Park System for a Modern City. Seattle: HistoryLink/Documentary Media LLC. ISBN 978-1-933245-56-0. OCLC 1158395222. 

Template:Commons category

Template:West Seattle, Seattle

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