Join Historic Seattle in providing public comments to the Landmarks Preservation Board before next week’s Landmarks Board meeting on Wednesday, January 21. The Board will be voting on a Certificate of Approval application for Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) to demolish ALL the character defining elements attached to the steel towers which help to convey the history of the gas works. While the vessels will remain, if the application is approved, they will be denuded of the pipes, catwalks, ladder cages and other features which convey this story of Seattle’s industrial heritage. At its October 15, 2025 meeting, the Board voted a similar proposal down, and they should do the same at this upcoming meeting.
Despite its international significance and being an important work by renowned Seattle landscape architect Rich Haag, the industrial elements which are the centerpiece of the park’s design have never had a maintenance plan. THEY SUFFER FROM DECADES OF DEFERRED MAINTENANCE. In fact, SPR’s application cites expensive deferred maintenance as a reason for demolition, but this lack of maintenance by our city is part of the problem. The park does not have a Preservation Master Plan in place at all.
The good news: At the Board’s direction, SPR hired a structural engineering firm to test the vessels and many of the connections. The vessels are solid and can be safely welded, meaning many of the catwalks, ladders and other character defining features could be repaired and stabilized. This means that any elements accessible to trespassers could be removed while the higher elements could be stabilized. This is great news and means that the gas works could be repaired for future generations to enjoy. Demolition would be a terrible precedent when there are solutions available which BOTH improve safety AND preserve the park’s historic features.
The meeting is next Wednesday afternoon at 3:30, but public comments must be received by noon on Tuesday (the earlier the better). Please address your comments to Erin Doherty, Landmarks Coordinator ([email protected]). Here is next week’s agenda (with a link to view the meeting, held on WebEx) Here is SPR’s presentation (which describes their proposal) and the staff report, which recommends that the Board vote to accept SPR’s demolition plan.