Park History

The park property had been owned since the 1960s by lifelong Seattle resident Tony Murphy, who lived in one of the houses and rented out the other two. When Tony decided to sell his property in early 2001, a neighbor attending an open house recognized its value as a future park. The Friends of Fremont Peak Park (FoFPP) quickly formed to take advantage of the opportunity presented by the sale of the property.

Years of successful fundraising followed in which FoFPP raised $1.5 million for land acquisition.
Major contributors included:

  • King County Conservation Futures Fund
  • Pro Parks Levy Opportunity Fund
  • Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Matching Fund
  • Suzie Burke
  • Otto Haas Charitable Trust #2
  • Safeco Foundation
  • and many community contributions


Special thanks goes to Seattle real estate broker Edward Krigsman, who facilitated an unusual and unpredictable deal, merging his commitment to getting the best result for his client with an opportunity to make a lasting commitment to the environment and the Fremont community.

Acquisition now completed, the entire site is owned by the City of Seattle.

 

With a grant from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, the Friends hired landscape architects from the Seattle firm GGLO and artist Laura Haddad to form the park's design team.
A series of public meetings were held to solicit design ideas from the community. Among the values identified by neighbors were preservation of a natural wooded area amidst a developed residential neighborhood, a desire to attract wildlife, a commitment to sustainable design and native species, and a vision of art that integrates with the natural environment.

With the two milestones of site acquisition and schematic design accomplished, FoFPP then raised more than $400,000 for park construction. Major contributors include:

  • Pro Parks Levy Opportunity Fund
  • Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Matching Fund
  • Otto Haas Charitable Trust #2
  • Starbucks Neighborhood Park Grant
  • King County Wild Places in City Spaces
  • William Penn Foundation
  • Safeco Insurance
  • The Seattle Foundation
  • Hugh & Jane Ferguson Foundation
  • and many individual Donations

Community members have donated thousands of hours of volunteer time to help create Fremont Peak Park. Please consider joining this successful group in our ongoing park stewardship efforts.


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