Seattle Parks Foundation

Volunteer Park Trust was founded in 2012 by friends and neighbors who witnessed a marked decline in the condition of the grounds and facilities at Volunteer Park. Centrally located on Seattle’s Capitol Hill, Volunteer Park represents the most complete and well-preserved example of the Olmsted Brothers’ design approach for Seattle city parks. Volunteer Park incorporates one of Seattle’s first reservoirs, built in 1900, as the core of the city’s municipal supply system. The Park also includes a rustic, brick-clad water tower with observation deck, a Conservatory, the Seattle Asian Art Museum, an historic shelter house, wading pool and play area, a performance stage, tennis courts, public art and memorials, and significant heritage trees. Widely used and much loved, Volunteer Park serves as both a citywide destination and a neighborhood park in one of Seattle’s densest, most prominent neighborhoods.

The mission of Volunteer Park Trust is to preserve and enhance this city and national landmark for today and for generations to come. Our beloved park is in need of immediate and long term stewardship beyond what the city can do. Its future is in jeopardy. In response to this challenge, the Trust is working in partnership with neighbors, Department of Neighborhoods, Seattle Parks and Recreation, Seattle Parks Foundation, Seattle Art Museum, and the Volunteer Park Conservatory. Current and future projects include: Replace the aging stage with an updated Amphitheater. Organize and host events for all ages, ranging from talks and tours to garden parties and seasonal celebrations. Address water and power sustainability in the park. Reclaim green areas, complete landscaping and long-term green maintenance, and restore central gardens and park entry plantings. Help with future renovations of the Water Tower. Work to preserve the Reservoir, including a perimeter “Sunset Promenade Walk.” Make the park safer and friendlier with better lighting and signs. You may wonder why Seattle Parks and Recreation isn’t funding this work. Unfortunately, Parks has hundreds of millions of dollars in backlogged maintenance costs and must spread their resources among all the parks. The future and success of these goals rests with all of us who love the Park. Please join the Trust to ensure that Volunteer Park remains a magnificent urban oasis for another 100 years.