List of eponymous places in Seattle

This is a list of eponymous places in Seattle, focusing on public spaces.

Parks

Park Named after Year (re)named Location Notes
Alice Ball Park Alice Ball 2019[1] Greenwood[2] Ball was born in Seattle and invented the most effective leprosy treatment of the early 1900s. She was also the first woman, and Black person, to get a master's from the University of Hawai'i.[1][3]
Alvin Larkins Park Alvin Larkins 1979[1] Madrona[1] Larkins was a jazz musician, choir director, and music teacher in Seattle.[1]
Betty Bowen Viewpoint Betty Bowen 1977[4] Queen Anne[4] Bowen was a founding member of the Seattle Arts Commission, assistant director for the Seattle Art Museum, and journalist.[5]
Bill Wright Golf Complex Bill Wright 2024[1] Wright was a professional golfer and also the first Black person to win the US Amateur Public Links Championship. He learned to play at this course and was a member of Fir State Golf Club there.[1]
Cal Anderson Park Cal Anderson 2003[6] Capitol Hill[7] Anderson was an activist and the first openly gay Washington legislator.[7]
Carkeek Park Morgan James Carkeek and Emily Gaskill Carkeek 1929[8] Broadview[8] Morgan was a contractor and stonemason, and the Carkeeks donated money to purchase Piper's Canyon for use as a park named after them.[8]
Cayton Corner Park Horace Cayton Sr. and Susie Revels Cayton[9] 2014[10] Capitol Hill[9] The Caytons ran The Seattle Republican and led community organizations. They were early Black residents of Seattle.[10]
Cheasty Natural Area Edward C. Cheasty Cheasty was a Seattle Park Board member.[11]
Cheryl Chow Park Cheryl Chow 2025[12] Rainier Valley[12] Chow was a Seattle City Council member who helped support parks, recreation, and school programs.[13]
Danny Woo Community Garden Danny Woo 1987 C-ID[14] Woo owned the parkland originally and leased it to Bob Santos for $1 a year for use as a community garden for neighborhood seniors. It was named for him after his death.[14]
Denny Park David Denny 1887[15] Denny and his wife Louisa were some of Seattle's early white settlers, and donated this area from their land claim for Seattle's first municipal cemetery.[15]
Detective Cookie Chess Park Detective Denise "Cookie" Bouldin 2022[16] Rainier Beach[16] Bouldin is a longtime member of the Seattle Police Department and runs a chess club and anti-violence programs for youth.[16]
Donnie Chin International Children's Park Donnie Chin 2016[17] C-ID[17] Chin founded the International District Emergency Center as a teenager and was a community activist and mentor.[17]
Dr. Blanche Lavizzo Park Dr. Blanche Lavizzo 1991[18] Lavizzo was the first Black woman pediatrician in Washington.[2]
Dr. Jose P. Rizal Park José Rizal 1974[19] Beacon Hill[19] Filipino activists and immigrants in Seattle campaigned to name a street after Rizal as a heroic symbol of Filipino civic engagement. The park and bridge were renamed together.[19]
Flo Ware Park Flo Ware 1982[20] Ware was a Seattle community activist for healthcare and education.[2]
Fritz Hedges Waterway Park Frederick "Fritz" Hedges 2020[21] Portage Bay Hedges was a longtime Seattle Parks and Recreation employee, serving as their Director of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation.[22]
Homer Harris Park Dr. Homer E. Harris 2002[23] Central District[23] Harris was a Seattle dermatologist and football player, the first Black captain of a Big Ten football team.[23]
Jimi Hendrix Park Jimi Hendrix 2006[24] Central District[24] Hendrix was a famous guitarist and rock musician who grew up in the Central District.[24][25]
Jim Ellis Freeway Park Jim Ellis Ellis was a community activist who advocated for local parks and led the campaign to create this park on top of an I-5 lid.[26][27]
John C. Little, Sr. Park John C. Little, Sr. 2004[28] NewHolly[1] Little co-founded the Central Area Youth Association and was a Seattle community activist, often serving youth.[1]
Judge Charles M. Stokes Overlook Charles Moorehouse Stokes 1998[29] I-90 lid[2] Stokes was the first Black legislator from King County and first Black judge on the King County District Court.[2]
Kerry Park Albert Sperry Kerry Kerry and his wife Katherine donated this park's land to the city for its view. Kerry was a lumberman and had been president of the Seattle Park Board.[30]
Kubota Garden Fujitaro Kubota 1927[31] Kubota was a professional gardener and Japanese immigrant who created this garden and introduced Japanese gardening techniques to Seattle.[32]
Leschi Park Chief Leschi Leschi was a chief of the Nisqually Tribe who objected to the Treaty of Medicine Creek and fought in the Yakima War. He often visited the area where this park was created.[33][34]
Louisa Boren Park Louisa Boren Denny 1914[22] Capitol Hill[22] Denny and her husband David were some of Seattle's early white settlers. She served on the first King County Jury to include women.[35]
Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil Rights Memorial Park Martin Luther King Jr. 1991[36] King was a civil rights leader who had spoken in Seattle.[37] Activist Eddie Rye Jr. campaigned to rename Martin Luther King Jr. Way for King, and this park was created as a memorial.[36]
Myrtle Edwards Park Myrtle Edwards 1976[38] Edwards was a Seattle City Council member and chaired the city's parks committee. She led two local Leagues of Women Voters.[5]
Powell Barnett Park Powell Barnett 1969[2] Barnett was a Seattle civil rights and community activist.[2]
Pratt Park Edwin T. Pratt 1976[39] Pratt founded the Central Area Motivation Program and Seattle Opportunities Industrialization Center.[40]
Prentis I. Frazier Park Prentis I. Frazier 1983[41] Central District[1] Frazier was a businessman who supported Black entrepreneurship and founded the Seattle Enterprise. The park is behind his house.[2][1]
Sam Smith Park Sam Smith 1998[2] I-90 lid[2] Smith was Seattle's first Black city councilmember.[2]
Victor Steinbrueck Park Victor Steinbrueck 1985[42] Steinbrueck was a Seattle architect who led the campaign to preserve Pike Place Market and helped design this park.[42]
Terry Pettus Park Terry Pettus 1985[43] Lake Union[43] Pettus was a Seattle journalist and activist for waterway environmental protection and houseboat communities.[43]
Ursula Judkins Viewpoint Ursula Judkins Judkins was an advocate for parks and environmentalism in the Magnolia neighborhood.[5]
Walt Hundley Playfield Walter R. Hundley 2013[44] Hundley was the first Black superintendent of Seattle Parks and Recreation and led the acquisition of this park.[2]
Warren G. Magnuson Park Warren G. Magnuson 1977[27] Magnuson was a U.S. senator who helped the city acquire this park after its previous use as a Naval Air Station.[27]
William Grose Park William Grose 1983[45] Grose was an early Seattle settler, helping found the First African Methodist Episcopal church in Seattle and starting the Central District.[1]

Buildings

Building Named after Year (re)named Location Notes
Amy Yee Tennis Center Amy Woo Yee 2002[5] Yee was a championship-winning tennis player who was inducted into the U.S. Tennis Association's Pacific Northwest Hall of Fame. She taught free lessons and expanded the sport in Seattle.[46]
Helene Madison Pool Helene Madison Madison was an Olympic gold medalist and world record holder in swimming. She learned at Green Lake.[5]
Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute Langston Hughes 1974[47] Central District[47] Hughes was a poet and Harlem Renaissance leader. He had visited Seattle and spoken about its racial history.[47]
Medgar Evers Pool Medgar Evers 1970[48][49] Evers was a U.S. civil rights leader whose assassination in 1963 spurred support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.[1]
Wing Luke Museum Wing Luke 1966[50] C-ID[50] Luke was a civil rights activist and the first person of color elected to the Seattle City Council, as well as the first Chinese American elected to office in King County.[51]

Pathways

Bridges

Bridge Named after Year (re)named Location Notes
Dr. Jose P. Rizal Bridge José Rizal 1974[19] C-ID, Beacon Hill[19] Filipino activists and immigrants in Seattle campaigned to name a street after Rizal as a heroic symbol of Filipino civic engagement. The bridge and park were renamed together.[19]
John Lewis Memorial Bridge John Lewis 2021[52] Northgate[52] Lewis was a national civil rights leader. City councilmember Debora Juarez campaigned for the bridge to be named after him to increase recognition of people of color, who are underrepresented in the city's names.[52]
Joe Desimone Bridge Giuseppe "Joe" Desimone Pike Place Market Desimone was a local farmer who began visiting the market in the 1910s. He became president of the company that owned the market in the 1930s and ran it until his death in the 1940s.[53]

Trails

Bridge Named after Year (re)named Location Notes
Burke–Gilman Trail Thomas Burke, Daniel Gilman Seattle, Kenmore[54] Burke and Gilman ran the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway, whose tracks eventually became the trail.
Cheshiahud Loop Cheshiahud Lake Union[55] Cheshiahud was the chief of a Duwamish village on Lake Union. He also worked as a guide on the lake when white settlers arrived there.[55]
Chief Sealth Trail Chief Sealth 2007[56] Beacon Hill, NewHolly[56] Sealth was Seattle's namesake and a leader in the Duwamish community.[57]

Further reading

  • Henry, Mary T. (November 1, 2022). Tributes: Black People Whose Names Grace Seattle Sites. HistoryLink. ISBN 978-1-933-24566-9.
  • Lukoff, Benjamin. "Writes of Way: Musings on Seattle's streets, their names, and more besides". Writes of Way.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Hirsch, Christina (February 18, 2019). "Explore Seattle's Black History with Seattle Parks and Recreation (Part 2)". Seattle Parks and Recreation: Parkways. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Allen, Aaron (February 26, 2025). "From William Grose To Alice Ball: Seattle's Parks Tell A Story Of Black Excellence". The Seattle Medium. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  3. ↑ Keller, Jessica (February 3, 2023). "Seattle sites: The stories behind the names". Madison Park Times. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  4. 1 2 "Marshall Park". Friends of Seattle's Olmsted Parks. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Esborn, Elizabeth (March 26, 2018). "Explore Local Women's History with Seattle Parks and Recreation". Seattle Parks and Recreation: Parkways. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  6. ↑ Wilma, David (March 13, 2003). "Cal Anderson becomes Washington's first openly gay legislator on November 9, 1987". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  7. 1 2 Brown, Kylin (May 28, 2021). "SGN:: Calling on Cal: The past, present, and future of Cal Anderson Park". Seattle Gay News. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  8. 1 2 3 Lukoff, Benjamin (April 30, 2022). "NW Carkeek Park Road". Writes of Way. Retrieved 2026-03-22.
  9. 1 2 "E Madison's Cayton Corner is open — Muralist wanted to add the tiny park's final touch". Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. December 12, 2025. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  10. 1 2 "Cayton Corner Park". Seattle Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  11. ↑ "Cheasty Natural Area". Seattle Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  12. 1 2 "Cheryl Chow park opens in Seattle". Northwest Asian Weekly. April 7, 2025. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  13. ↑ "Cheryl Chow Park". Seattle Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  14. 1 2 "Danny Woo Community Garden". HistoryLink Tours. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  15. 1 2 Crowley, Walt (March 23, 2005). "Seattle establishes its first public park, Denny Park, on site of the city's first municipal cemetery on July 10, 1884". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  16. 1 2 3 Bancroft, Ethan (September 26, 2022). "Celebrating the grand opening of Detective Cookie Chess Park!". Seattle Department of Transportation: SDOT Blog. Retrieved 2026-03-22.
  17. 1 2 3 "Donnie Chin International Children's Park". HistoryLink Tours. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  18. ↑ Henry, Mary T. (February 9, 2004). "Lavizzo, Dr. Blanche Sellers (1925-1984)". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hedden, Andrew. "Filipino Americans and the Making of Seattle's Dr. Jose P. Rizal Bridge and Park". University of Washington: Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  20. ↑ Henry, Mary T. (May 18, 1999). "Ware, Flo (1912-1981)". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  21. ↑ "Fritz Hedges Waterway Park". Seattle Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  22. 1 2 3 Banel, Feliks (January 4, 2020). "All Over The Map: Old and new perspectives from Seattle's most scenic lookout spots". MyNorthwest. Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  23. 1 2 3 Henry, Mary T. (July 17, 2003). "Harris, Dr. Homer E. Jr. (1916-2007)". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  24. 1 2 3 Gilbert, Emily (February 26, 2019). "Visit these Seattle parks that honor African-American leaders". King5. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  25. ↑ Pickford, Owen (March 26, 2015). "The Jimi Hendrix Park: Designed For Rock and Roll". The Urbanist. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  26. ↑ "Freeway Park". Seattle Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 2026-03-22.
  27. 1 2 3 Godden, Jean (May 17, 2023). "Outstanding: More Nominations for Monumental Seattle Women". Post Alley. Retrieved 2026-03-22.
  28. ↑ "John C. Little, Sr. Park". Seattle Parks and Recreation. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  29. ↑ Henry, Mary T. (January 9, 1999). "Stokes, Charles Moorehead (1903-1996)". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  30. ↑ Dougherty, Phil (November 29, 2008). "Kerry, Albert Sperry (1866-1939)". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2026-03-22.
  31. ↑ Hirsch, Christina (May 10, 2025). "Exploring Seattle Parks That Honor AAPI Heritage and Community". Seattle Parks and Recreation: Parkways. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  32. ↑ Rochester, Junius (July 11, 2001). "Seattle Neighborhoods: Leschi -- Thumbnail History". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2026-03-22.
  33. ↑ Banel, Feliks (February 14, 2018). "Chief Leschi lives on 160 years after his execution". MyNorthwest. Retrieved 2026-03-22.
  34. ↑ Lange, Greg (January 28, 2022). "Denny, David (1832-1903), Louisa Boren Denny (1827-1916), and Family". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  35. 1 2 Henry, Mary T. (January 17, 2002). "Seattle dedicates new park and monument honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on November 16, 1991". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  36. ↑ Henry, Mary T. (January 8, 1999). "Martin Luther King Jr. arrives for his only Seattle visit on November 8, 1961". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  37. ↑ Stein, Alan J. (December 23, 2013). "Michael Heizer's sculpture Adjacent, Against, Upon is unveiled". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  38. ↑ "Pratt Park". Seattle Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  39. ↑ Hirsch, Christina (February 18, 2019). "Explore Seattle's Black History with Seattle Parks and Recreation (Part 1)". Seattle Parks and Recreation: Parkways. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  40. ↑ Henry, Mary T. (May 27, 1999). "Frazier, Prentis (1880-1959)". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  41. 1 2 Banel, Feliks (December 16, 2022). "Park honors 'man who invented caring about Seattle history'". MyNorthwest. Retrieved 2026-03-22.
  42. 1 2 3 "Terry Pettus Park". Seattle Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  43. ↑ Egge, Rose (March 7, 2013). "High Point Playfield renamed after Walt Hundley". KOMO. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  44. ↑ "William Grose Park". Seattle Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  45. ↑ Henry, Mary T. (April 10, 2011). "Yee, Amy Woo (1922 -2000)". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  46. 1 2 3 Mumford, Zola (August 6, 2014). "Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute (Seattle)". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  47. ↑ Epstein, Mark (November 3, 2023). "OPINION | Civil Rights Reflection: Medgar Evers Pool and the Naming of Public Places". South Seattle Emerald. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  48. ↑ "The important legacy of a Historic Landmark and Washington's first Black architect, Benjamin McAdoo". Seattle Department of Neighborhoods: Front Porch. January 31, 2026. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  49. 1 2 Takami, David (January 25, 1999). "Luke, Wing (1925-1965)". HistoryLink. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  50. ↑ Curry, Kai (February 18, 2025). "Wing Luke's 100th birthday celebration: Family and friends share memories and mementos". Northwest Asian Weekly. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  51. 1 2 3 "John Lewis Memorial Bridge (Northgate Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge) is Now Open". The Facts. October 2, 2021. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  52. ↑ "Desimone Bridge, Stewart House". HistoryLink.tours. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  53. ↑ "Burke-Gilman Trail". HistoryLink.tours. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  54. 1 2 "Cheshiahud Lake Union Loop". Seattle Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  55. 1 2 "Chief Sealth Trail". Seattle Department of Transportation. November 29, 2007. Archived from the original on 2013-12-19. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  56. ↑ "SEATTLE: CHIEF SEALTH TRAIL". Intracorp Homes. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
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