Fritz Hedges Waterway Park — Ann Marie Schneider

FRITZ HEDGES WATERWAY PARK

Integrated interpretive features constructed of reclaimed site timbers and blackened steel are set in native and adapted plantings inspired by pre-development cultivated prairies.

Details
Seattle’s newest waterfront park destination transformed a jumble of old buildings, concrete bulkhead, and contaminated soils into a destination with spectacular views, beach and hand-carried boat access, and a naturalized habitat-friendly shoreline. Stories relating to the site’s history of native prairie and canoe portage, timber mills, and mid-century recreational boating are thoughtfully integrated throughout the park and invite discovery. Reclaimed timber from the demolished buildings is repurposed into custom features including terrace seat-walls, a hand-carried boat slide, and a suite of vertical sculptures and interpretive signs that form gateways to the park and interpretive trail. Minimal finishing and oxidized stainless steel patina evoke the site’s industrial and natural history and allow the pieces to weather with time. The stories and maps were developed collaboratively to honor both pre-European indigenous and post-settlement site histories, with input from stakeholder and community members. The park won four awards in it’s opening year, including the WASLA Public General Design Merit Award, and a Waterfront Center Honor Award, and was featured on a Seattle Channel video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB4wC-KKrAw&feature=youtu.be
Role: Associate Landscape Architectural Designer and Construction Administration with Walker Macy, PIC Lara Rose. Client: Seattle Parks and Recreation

1. Sculptural steel and reclaimed timber gateway integrated into decking and pier.
2. Reclaimed timber and oxidized steel interpretive sign
3. Reclaimed timber and galvinized steel hand-carried boat slide
4. Native and adapted meadow planting
5. Design and content for two steel and reclaimed timber interpretive signs