Olympic Sculpture Park

Transformed from a fuel storage site to an award-winning waterfront park, Olympic Sculpture Park is a green and creative respite in the heart of busy downtown Seattle.

Large industrial cylinders once dominated the 7.3-acre waterfront property. The State of Washington deemed the land contaminated and in need of extensive clean-up, making conservation difficult.

But inspired by local leaders’ vision for a vibrant waterfront park, Trust for Public Land and the Seattle Art Museum were determined to restore the land for community use. TPL purchased the property, preventing private development that would have forever eclipsed the vision for a waterfront park. The Seattle Art Museum collaborated with renowned landscape architects to restore the land for safe public use and create environmental benefits like habitat for native plants and animals and restorative soil to help manage stormwater. The design and restoration efforts placed special emphasis on the shoreline to enhance salmon habitat and create some of the only public access to the Puget Sound in downtown Seattle.

Local leaders envisioned a space that celebrated nature, art, and community. The Seattle Art Museum works with artists to bring iconic sculptures to the park that complement the surrounding landscape. The park also features an outdoor terrace and an indoor pavilion for community events and performances. The Olympic Sculpture Park hosts outdoor yoga, concerts, and family activities. Schools use the space year-round for outdoor education.

Thanks to the vision of community leaders, the Olympic Sculpture Park now welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Park goers enjoy free access to magnificent world-class artwork amid this beautifully designed green space. Walkers and bikers often begin their route on the 10-mile Elliott Bay Trail via the Olympic Sculpture Park. And Seattleites know, there’s nothing quite like sitting on a bench at the Sculpture Park and watching the sunset over the Olympic Mountains rising above the Puget Sound.