Washington Park Arboretum Historic Review September 2003 BOLA Architecture + Planning 320 Terry Avenue North Seattle, Washington 98109 206.447.4749 Karen Kiest / Landscape Architects 1101 East Pike Street Seattle, Washington 98122 206.323.6032 Washington Park Arboretum Historic Review BOLA Architecture + Planning & Karen Kiest Landscape Architects Contents 1. Introduction page 1 2. Institutional and Regulatory Framework page 7 3. Early History of the Property page 11 4. Washington Park and the Boulevard Era page 19 5. The University of Washington and Establishment of the Arboretum page 43 6. Early Arboretum Organization page 47 7. The Olmsted Brothers Plan page 55 8. The WPA and the Development of the Arboretum Development page 67 9. The War Years and Post War Era page 87 10. The Japanese Garden page 101 11. Visual Assessment page 105 12. Bibliography and Sources page 127 Appendices: A. Historic Timeline for the Arboretum, Seattle and the Region B. Biographic Sketches The Review of Washington Park Arboretum Archaeological Potential is provided as a separate document. BOLA Architecture + Planning 320 Terry Avenue North Seattle, Washington 98109 206.447.4749 1 1. INTRODUCTION This section provides background information about the study that resulted in this report. It describes the purpose of the study and states the goals of the report. The methodology and its participants are noted along with research documents and their sources. It also identifies themes that emerged from the research, and the institutional and regulatory framework for implementation of the Arboretum Master Plan, which was adopted in 2001. Purpose In late 2002 Seattle Parks and Recreation, representing the Arboretum and Botanical Garden Committee (ABGC) sought to document the history of the Washington Park Arboretum as a prerequisite to implement the Arboretum Master Plan. The master plan, Renewing the Washington Park Arboretum, was developed with a significant understanding of the history of Washington Park and the Arboretum, and it will serve as the future management (and development) plan and management philosophy. The master plan contains Implementation Guidelines and EIS Mitigation Measures that outline steps to document the historic status of elements within the Arboretum, and consider measures to ensure integrity of cultural resources during the plan’s implementation. The purpose of this study is to document the history of Washington Park and the Washington Park Arboretum and meet the requirements of the guidelines and mitigation measures. This study provides information for entities that implement the master plan to identify options for addressing cultural resources and identify park elements that are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places or designation as City of Seattle landmarks. As a compilation of history, this report is intended to give readers an understanding of the milestones and key layers in the historic development of the Park and Arboretum. It provides a record of the actions of individuals, designers, members of the public, agencies and administrators who have collectively created the Park and Arboretum as they exist today. The goal of the report is to provide the reader an understanding of the factual history of the property, the changes that have occurred over time, and the presence and integrity of elements with potential historic significance. The report provides a bibliography of sources to aid further research, and appendices with other information. The study was undertaken by consultants Susan Boyle, of BOLA Architecture + Planning, and Karen Kiest, of Karen Kiest Landscape Architects, with assistance from landscape historian Professor David Streatfield, and Northwest Archaeological Associates (NWAA). Scope of the Study This report is an illustrated narrative, based on historic documents, including primary and secondary sources, about Washington Park and the Washington Park Arboretum. The report covers the historic period from the era of pre-settlement and the pioneer era of the mid-to-late nineteenth century, up through the early 1970s. The period of study was historic, and the report does not document more recent events and activities. However, it acknowledges those that have impacted the historic character of the property, such as construction of the Graham Visitors Center and the increasing traffic on Lake Washington Boulevard. Readers and researchers are encouraged to use the sources provided in the bibliography to gain more in-depth information about specific elements. This report concludes Phase 1 of a three phase effort, that of research and documentation of the property’s history. It will serve as the basis for the subsequent two phases. Phase 2 will identify elements within the Arboretum that may be eligible for landmark status, and develop strategies to address these while implementing the Master Plan. Phase 3 is the preparation of required landmark nomination forms. Washington Park Arboretum Historic Review 2 BOLA Architecture + Planning & Karen Kiest Landscape Architects 1. Introduction Methodology Meetings were held at the inception of the project with the Arboretum Director, ABGC members, and representatives of the Arboretum Foundation and Seattle Parks and Recreation. The study team also met with the University of Washington Capital Projects Office to identify the University’s ongoing effort to establish review procedures similar to those used on the main campus. Meetings were held with several review agencies including the City of Seattle’s Department of Neighborhood’s Office of Historic Preservation Officer, and the State Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (OAHP). Documents were collected from these agencies and from the City’s Department of Design Construction and Land Use (DCLU). The team’s consulting archaeologists reviewed compliance procedures of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and identified steps necessary for National Register eligible projects and those with on-site archaeological remains. Visual Assessment The team began a visual assessment of the Arboretum with several site tours in the fall 2002 to inventory and photograph key views or areas, based on initial historic research. (Several areas were re-photographed in 2003.) With the conclusion of research, the team returned to analyze these key areas. The assessment documents elements within the Arboretum that represent design intentions, planned experiential qualities, and character defining features. However, the scope of the assessment in this report was limited, and thus the elements included in this portion of the report may not be comprehensive. The visual assessment charts changes and current conditions, including remnants of earlier, and realized designs, and the physical integrity of remaining elements. Research Sources The Washington Park Arboretum has a lengthy and complex history that involved many people and groups. Thus research documents were collected for review from many available sources. Documents included primary source materials -- letters, telegrams, reports, contracts, ordinances, and lists of building elements and plants, estimates, planning and design drawings – and secondary ones, such as periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts, theses and unpublished reports, maps and photographs. Sources of research materials included Seattle Parks and Recreation, and the City of Seattle’s Municipal Archives (MA) and Office of Historic Preservation; the University of Washington Archives and Special Collections (MSCUA), the Miller Library at the Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH), the Seattle Public Library (SPL), and the National Association of Olmsted Parks (NAOP). The Friends of Seattle Olmsted Parks (FSOP) provided special assistance as their research included documents from the archives at Fairsted, the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site in Brookline, Massachusetts, and the Library of Congress Olmsted records, Series B. The study team attended a Seattle Garden Club sponsored lecture by Phillis Anderson, of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, in early March, and the NAOP conference in Seattle in early May 2003. The team also reviewed two unpublished master theses: Bonita D. Ross, “The Washington Park Arboretum: Historical Land Use Assessment and Analysis,” (University of Michigan, April 2003) and Scot Medbury, “The Olmsted Taxonomic Arboretum and Its Application to Washington Park, Seattle,” (University of Washington, Center for Urban Horticulture, 1990). The research assistance provided by these sources and others was invaluable to the study team. Washington Park Arboretum Historic Review 3 BOLA Architecture + Planning & Karen Kiest Landscape Architects 1. Introduction The study team collected and reviewed documents to clarify the applicable regulations and procedures from the National Park Service Cultural Landscapes, Alliance for Historic Landscape Preservation, and the National Association for Olmsted Parks. Reference documents included: • The Secretary of Interiors Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes • “The Cultural Landscape Report: Treatment Through Research” • “Preservation Checklist for Cultural Landscapes” (Lucy Lawliss, NAOP) • “Preservation Brief No. 36 – Protecting Cultural Landscapes: Planning, Treatment and Management of Historic Landscapes” (Charles Birnbaum and the National Park Service) • “A Guide to Cultural Landscape Reports: Contents, Process and Techniques (Robert R. Page) The team reviewed cultural landscapes