Gas Works Park

Gas Works Park is a 19-acre public park at 2101 North Northlake Way on the north shore of Lake Union, in the Wallingford neighbourhood of Seattle, Washington. The park is built around the remains of a coal gasification plant that operated here from the early 1900s until the 1950s, and landscape architect Richard Haag preserved the rusting towers, pipes and the cracker and boiler house structures as industrial sculpture when the site opened as a park in the 1970s. Some of the old structures are painted in bright colours and house picnic shelters and a play barn. A grassy mound known as Kite Hill rises above the lake and offers a sweeping view south across the water to the downtown skyline and the Space Needle, so the park is a favourite place for kite flying, picnics and photography. The shoreline gives a close look at floatplanes landing on the lake, sailboats and houseboats. Because the soil was contaminated by the former plant, signs ask visitors to stay on marked paths and areas, and the industrial structures themselves are fenced for safety. A visit typically takes one to one and a half hours, longer for a picnic. Crowds peak on sunny weekends and on the evening of the Fourth of July, when the park is a main viewing point for the city's fireworks over the lake and arrives packed hours in advance. Quieter times are weekday mornings. The park is open daily from early morning to late evening and is free. King County Metro Route 62 runs to Wallingford Avenue North and North 34th Street, followed by a 10-minute walk, while cyclists can arrive along the Burke-Gilman Trail, which passes the park. The skyline is most dramatic at sunset, and the golden hour draws many photographers to the top of the hill.