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Leschi, Seattle | |
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Coordinates: 47°36′1″N122°17′34″W / 47.60028°N 122.29278°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Washington |
County | King |
City | Seattle |
ZIP Code | 98122, 98144 |
Area Code | 206 |
Leschi is a neighborhood in the city of Seattle, Washington, United States. Located on the western shore of Lake Washington, the residential neighborhood was named by its 19th-century developer for Chief Leschi of the Nisqually tribe, who was executed by territorial authorities in 1858 in Pierce County, Washington.
The Leschi neighborhood is bordered by Lake Washington on the east, Interstate 90 on the south, beyond which is Mount Baker, Martin Luther King Jr. Way on the west, beyond which is the Central District and East Cherry Street on the north, beyond which is Madrona.
Residences in Leschi include condominiums (especially along the lake), refurbished bungalows and craftsman, contemporary styles, bricks, Tudors and mid-century ramblers. Curvy streets wind away up the hill from the lakefront, which means many residences get at least a partial lake view. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer described Leschi as "not an exclusive enclave for the rich, despite its million-dollar lakefront homes" and a "home to a racially and economically diverse group of people." The area "mix[es] stately turn-of-the century houses with far more modest homes". [1]
There are many parks, including the popular Leschi lakeside park and other pocket parks spread throughout the neighborhood. Notable neighborhood parks include Frink Park, Flo Ware Park, [2] Powell Barnett Park, [3] and the "String of Pearls", which refers to a "series of mini parks along Lake Washington at the end of east/west streets that run right to the lake." [4]
According to legend, Leschi Park was a campsite of Chief Leschi of the Nisqually tribe. Chief Leschi was executed for his participation in the Battle of Seattle and the Yakima Wars (1855-1858). The 1854 treaty which took away native lands led to an attack on the settlement in 1856. Many tribe members and two settlers were killed, and Leschi was subsequently tortured and hanged.[ citation needed ]
In 1889, the site was developed as an amusement park, at the eastern end of the Lake Washington Cable Railway's trolley line. The attractions included a casino, gardens, boat rentals, and a zoo. The zoo animals were donated to the City in 1903, and the site itself was sold to the City in 1909. It was adapted as one of Seattle's earliest parks. Today, Leschi Park is a well-manicured, rolling hillside of grass planted with exotic trees and gardens of roses. Pathways follow an undulating terrain to restrooms above. One path leads to a tennis court, and another goes on up to a playground with slides and a sand box. A grassy spot under willows on the east side of Lakeside S. has a view of acres of moored sailboats and an old-time ferry.
Since the earliest days of Seattle history, Frink Park served as a natural woodland park where city residents could enjoy mountain and sound views. Set aside as a "private" park in 1883, the main portion of the park was later purchased by Seattle parks commissioner John M. Frink and his wife Abbie H. Frink and donated to the City on October 25, 1906.
In 1908 the City authorized the Board of Park Commissioners to acquire additional land adjacent southeast to the Frink park property. Other lands were given as gifts; however, the City condemned several lots just south of today’s Frink Boulevard to make room for the parkway connecting Leschi and Frink parks. Today, Friends of Frink Park work to preserve the natural urban forest unique to the Park. These local stewards are united in ensuring the Park’s continued importance to the local residents and the city that visionaries John Frink and the Olmsted brothers foresaw.
Flo (Florasina) Ware (1912-1981) was the quintessential activist, known in Seattle for raising a voice on behalf of children, the elderly, and the poor. In 1982, a Seattle Parks playfield at 28th & Jackson was named in her honor. The park received a $540,000 renovation in 2002 which included art installations commemorating her life work. In recent years, it has been the site of free music events sponsored by the Leschi Community Council.
Powell Barnett Park was originally selected by the City Planning Commission as the "east Junior High School Site" and was developed as a running track and athletic field by nearby Garfield High School. Upon the acquisition and development of a playfield at the school, the "Garfield Track" was abandoned in 1962. It was sold to the Department of Parks in 1966. Playground improvements were accomplished in 1967 by the community through the Central Area Motivation Program. Upon suggestion of the Leschi Improvement Council (renamed the Leschi Community Ccouncil) in 1969, the playground was named in honor of Powell Barnett. He was a man of many interests and great energy, much of which was directed toward improving race relations and civic unity. Barnett organized the Leschi Improvement Council and became its first president in 1958, led in organizing the East Madison YMCA, served as chairman of its board, and chaired a committee that revised the Seattle Urban League, thus saving its membership in the Community Chest. On May 19, 2006, the community, Starbucks and the City of Seattle celebrated the completion of an Ultimate Parks Makeover of Powell Barnett Park.
Between September 27, 1888, and August 10, 1940, a Seattle Municipal Street Railway cable car ran along Yesler Way from Pioneer Square to Lake Washington.
Historic photographs:
Pierce County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 921,130, up from 795,225 in 2010, making it the second-most populous county in Washington, behind King County, and the 59th-most populous in the United States. The county seat and largest city is Tacoma. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory, it was named for U.S. President Franklin Pierce. Pierce County is in the Seattle metropolitan area.
Fremont is a neighborhood in the North Central District of Seattle, Washington, United States. Originally a separate city, it was annexed to Seattle in 1891. It is named after Fremont, Nebraska, the hometown of two of its founders: Luther H. Griffith and Edward Blewett.
Queen Anne is a neighborhood in northwestern Seattle, Washington. Queen Anne covers an area of 7.3 square kilometers (2.8 sq mi), and has a population of about 28,000. It is bordered by Belltown to the south, Lake Union to the east, the Lake Washington Ship Canal to the north and Interbay to the west.
Chief Leschi was a chief of the Nisqually Indian Tribe of southern Puget Sound, Washington, primarily in the area of the Nisqually River.
Madison Park is an 8.3 acre (34,000 m2) park in the Madison Park neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, located between the western shore of Lake Washington on the east, 42nd Avenue E. on the west, E. Madison Street on the north, and E. Blaine Street on the south. 43rd Avenue E. divides it into two sections; the east is a swimming beach and public dock, and the west is a playground, playfield, and tennis courts. Next to the beach is Madison Park Co-op, a community playhouse for toddlers and children.
Leschi Park is an 18.5 acres (75,000 m2) park in the Leschi neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, named after Chief Leschi of the Nisqually tribe. The majority of the park is a grassy hillside that lies west of Lakeside Avenue S. and features tennis courts, picnic tables, and a playground. Across Lakeside Avenue to the east is the western shore of Lake Washington and a small lawn with benches. To its south is the southern portion of Leschi Moorage, separated from the northern portion by a parking lot in the E. Yesler Way right-of-way, private docks, and an office/restaurant complex.
Frink Park is a 17.2 acre park in the Leschi neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. It is a heavily wooded hillside and ravine through which flows Frink Creek. Most of the park is bounded by 31st Avenue S. in the west, 34th Avenue S. in the east, and the rights-of-way of S. Main Street in the north and S. King Street in the south. Lake Washington Boulevard S. and S. Frink Place are recreational drives within the park.
Cascade is an urban neighborhood abutting Downtown Seattle, Washington, United States, located adjacent to South Lake Union. It is bounded by: Fairview Avenue North on the west, beyond which is the rest of the Cascade Neighborhood; the Interstate 5 interchange for Mercer St to the north, beyond which is Eastlake; Interstate 5 on the east, beyond which is Capitol Hill; and Denny Way on the south, beyond which is Denny Triangle. It is surrounded by thoroughfares Mercer Street (eastbound), Fairview Avenue N. and Eastlake Avenue E., and Denny Way. The neighborhood, one of Seattle's oldest, originally extended much further: west to Terry Avenue, south to Denny Hill on the South, and east to Melrose Avenue E through the area now obliterated by Interstate 5. Some recent writers consider Cascade to omit the northern "arm", while others extend it westward to cover most of South Lake Union.
The Central Area is a mostly residential neighborhood in Seattle located east of downtown and First Hill ; west of Madrona, Leschi and Mt. Baker; south of Capitol Hill, and north of Rainier Valley. Historically, the Central District has been one of Seattle's most racially and ethnically diverse neighborhoods, and was once the center of Seattle's black community and a major hub of African-American businesses.
Lake City is a neighborhood and the northeast region of Seattle, centered along Lake City Way NE (SR-522), 7–8 miles (11–13 km) northeast of Downtown Seattle. A broader definition of the Lake City area includes all the land between 15th Avenue NE and Lake Washington, and between NE 95th and 98th streets to the Seattle city limits at NE 145th Street. Lake City encompasses much of the Thornton Creek watershed, the focus of a long restoration campaign by citizens and Seattle Public Utilities staff to enhance the residential environment of Lake City.
Madrona is a mostly residential neighborhood in east Seattle, Washington. It is bounded on the east by Lake Washington; on the south by E. Cherry Street, beyond which is Leschi; on the west by Martin Luther King Jr. Way, beyond which is the Central District; and on the north by E. Howell Street, beyond which is Denny-Blaine.
Matthews Beach is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington; it and Meadowbrook are the southern neighborhoods of the annexed township of Lake City (1954). Matthews Beach lies about 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of the University of Washington, about 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Downtown.
The Puget Sound War was an armed conflict that took place in the Puget Sound area of the state of Washington in 1855–56, between the United States military, local militias and members of the Native American tribes of the Nisqually, Muckleshoot, Puyallup, and Klickitat. Another component of the war, however, were raiders from the Haida and Tlingit who came into conflict with the United States Navy during contemporaneous raids on the native peoples of Puget Sound. Although limited in its magnitude, territorial impact and losses in terms of lives, the conflict is often remembered in connection to the 1856 Battle of Seattle and to the execution of a central figure of the war, Nisqually Chief Leschi. The contemporaneous Yakima War may have been responsible for some events of the Puget Sound War, such as the Battle of Seattle, and it is not clear that the people of the time made a strong distinction between the two conflicts.
Meadowbrook is a neighborhood in the Lake City district of Seattle, Washington. Meadowbrook is centered on open fields adjacent to the Community Center, Meadowbrook swimming pool, and Nathan Hale High School. It is bounded on the south by NE 95th Street and the Wedgwood neighborhood, on the north by NE 120th Street and Cedar Park, on the west by Lake City Way NE and Victory Heights, and on the east by 35th Avenue NE and Matthews Beach.
Lake Washington Boulevard is a scenic, approximately 8-mile (13 km), road through Seattle, Washington, that hugs Lake Washington for much of the route. There are views of the lake, small sections of rainforest, meadows, and views of the Cascade mountains. At its northern end, Lake Washington Boulevard originates as East Lake Washington Boulevard at Montlake Boulevard East, soon becomes Lake Washington Boulevard East, and runs through the length of the Washington Park Arboretum. The road begins at S. Juneau Street in Seward Park, running thence along the lake to Colman Park, just south of Interstate 90. From here north to E. Alder Street in Leschi, the lakeside road is named Lakeside Avenue, and Lake Washington Boulevard diverts to a winding route through Colman, Frink, and Leschi Parks. At E. Alder, the boulevard once again runs along the lake through Madrona Park to just north of Madrona Drive, where private residences occupy the shore. At E. Denny-Blaine Place, the road heads northwest, through Lakeview Park and the grounds of The Bush School, to the south entrance of the Arboretum at E. Madison Street. It continues through the Arboretum. Just north of E. Roanoke Street, the boulevard turns due west and changes from Lake Washington Boulevard E. to E. Lake Washington Boulevard, following the city's street name designation system. The boulevard ends at the Montlake overpass of 520, where E. Montlake Place E. becomes Montlake Boulevard E.
Pinehurst is a neighborhood in the Northgate area of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is bounded by NE 145th Street to the north, NE Northgate Way to the south, I-5 to the west, and Lake City Way to the east. These boundaries were determined by the Pinehurst Community Council. Pinehurst's northern boundary of NE 145th Street makes Pinehurst one of the northernmost neighborhoods in the city of Seattle.
Seattle Parks and Recreation is the government department responsible for maintaining the parks, open spaces, and community centers of the city of Seattle, Washington. The department maintains properties covering an area of over 6,200 acres (25 km2), which is equivalent to roughly 11% of the city's total area. Of those 6,200 acres (25 km2), 4,600 acres (19 km2) are developed.
Powell S. Barnett was a Seattle-based musician, civil rights activist, and African American community leader.
Flo Ware Park is a public park in Seattles Central District / Leschi neighborhoods, in the U.S. state of Washington. It was named for Flo Ware in 1982.