Seattle's Front Lawn
I originally made this blended image for the Queen Anne Historical Society a couple years ago. The older image is by prolific Seattle photographer Asahel Curtis and dates to the early 1930s. The later image is courtesy of a historical society trustee. The view is, of course, from Kerry Park, one of the most well-known and beloved prospects in the city. In the 1920s the undeveloped lot was already a popular spot for its panoramic view of downtown Seattle, Elliott Bay, and (on a good day) Mount Rainier. When a developer proposed building an apartment in the late 1920s alarmed neighbors, including lumber baron Albert S. Kerry, took action. Homeowners near the park collected between five and six thousand dollars to purchase the land for a city park. Kerry and his wife Katherine put up the remaining $20,000. Maintenance and beautification were undertaken by neighborhood volunteers at first. Starting in the 1930s the Seattle Parks Department gradually added benches, a drinking fountain
