Place Description:
Some park history from the Seattle Parks and Rec web site: This 20 acre point on the north side of Lake Union was cleared in 1906 to construct a plant to manufacture gas from coal - later converted to crude oil. Import of natural gas in the 1950's made the plant obsolete. The city acquired the site for a park in 1962. The park was opened to the public in 1975. The boiler house has been converted to a Picnic Shelter with tables, fire grills and an open area. The former exhauster-compressor building, now a children's play barn, features a maze of brightly painted machinery.
More info at: www.cityofseattle.net/parks/parkspaces/GASWORKS.htm
Individual View Descriptions:BuildingInside4, facing West:
- The ultimate kids' playground.
BuildingNorth1, facing West:
- I think this was the boiler...
BuildingNorth2, facing South:
- Zoom to see the upper section of this (boiler?) system.
BuildingSouth1, facing East:
- Move forward to walk right through this tube (!) and land in the sandy part of the playground.
BuildingSouth5, facing North:
- It feels like a secret little space in here...
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BuildingSouth7, facing NE:
- The playground is a nice - a bit different from most.
East1, facing West:
- Move forward to hop up and enter the building.
EastField3, facing West:
- Zoom for a close-up of one of the towers (along with some idiot's graffiti).
EastField4, facing SE:
- Kite!
EastField5, facing South:
- Zoom to see the sail boats.
EastField6, facing SW:
- This way to the view point.
KiteHillSculpture, facing North:
- This sculpture is actually a sundial, your body is used to cast the shadow to tell time. Detailed instructions are given on the plaque at one end of the sundial. The location where you should stand is marked. The artwork within the sundial is quite intricate with many details to look at. More info at: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM46F0
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- If you are viewing this place on the RealPlaces site, click Options -> Ground Level View Turning -> Fast. Looks better, try it out.
KiteHillSculpture, facing NE:
- This sculpture is actually a sundial, your body is used to cast the shadow to tell time. Detailed instructions are given on the plaque at one end of the sundial. The location where you should stand is marked. The artwork within the sundial is quite intricate with many details to look at. More info at: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM46F0
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- If you are viewing this place on the RealPlaces site, click Options -> Ground Level View Turning -> Fast. Looks better, try it out.
KiteHillSculpture, facing East:
- This sculpture is actually a sundial, your body is used to cast the shadow to tell time. Detailed instructions are given on the plaque at one end of the sundial. The location where you should stand is marked. The artwork within the sundial is quite intricate with many details to look at. More info at: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM46F0
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- If you are viewing this place on the RealPlaces site, click Options -> Ground Level View Turning -> Fast. Looks better, try it out.
KiteHillSculpture, facing SE:
- This sculpture is actually a sundial, your body is used to cast the shadow to tell time. Detailed instructions are given on the plaque at one end of the sundial. The location where you should stand is marked. The artwork within the sundial is quite intricate with many details to look at. More info at: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM46F0
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- If you are viewing this place on the RealPlaces site, click Options -> Ground Level View Turning -> Fast. Looks better, try it out.
KiteHillSculpture, facing South:
- This sculpture is actually a sundial, your body is used to cast the shadow to tell time. Detailed instructions are given on the plaque at one end of the sundial. The location where you should stand is marked. The artwork within the sundial is quite intricate with many details to look at. More info at: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM46F0
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- If you are viewing this place on the RealPlaces site, click Options -> Ground Level View Turning -> Fast. Looks better, try it out.
KiteHillSculpture, facing SW:
- This sculpture is actually a sundial, your body is used to cast the shadow to tell time. Detailed instructions are given on the plaque at one end of the sundial. The location where you should stand is marked. The artwork within the sundial is quite intricate with many details to look at. More info at: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM46F0
-
- If you are viewing this place on the RealPlaces site, click Options -> Ground Level View Turning -> Fast. Looks better, try it out.
KiteHillSculpture, facing West:
- This sculpture is actually a sundial, your body is used to cast the shadow to tell time. Detailed instructions are given on the plaque at one end of the sundial. The location where you should stand is marked. The artwork within the sundial is quite intricate with many details to look at. More info at: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM46F0
-
- If you are viewing this place on the RealPlaces site, click Options -> Ground Level View Turning -> Fast. Looks better, try it out.
KiteHillSculpture, facing NW:
- This sculpture is actually a sundial, your body is used to cast the shadow to tell time. Detailed instructions are given on the plaque at one end of the sundial. The location where you should stand is marked. The artwork within the sundial is quite intricate with many details to look at. More info at: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM46F0
-
- If you are viewing this place on the RealPlaces site, click Options -> Ground Level View Turning -> Fast. Looks better, try it out.
MainEntrance1, facing SE:
- Some park history from the Seattle Parks and Rec web site: This 20 acre point on the north side of Lake Union was cleared in 1906 to construct a plant to manufacture gas from coal - later converted to crude oil. Import of natural gas in the 1950's made the plant obsolete. The city acquired the site for a park in 1962. The park was opened to the public in 1975. The boiler house has been converted to a Picnic Shelter with tables, fire grills and an open area. The former exhauster-compressor building, now a children's play barn, features a maze of brightly painted machinery.
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- More info at: www.cityofseattle.net/parks/parkspaces/GASWORKS.htm
MainEntrance1, facing NW:
- This is the main parking lot on the north side of the park.
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MainEntrance4, facing West:
- Walk under the arches!
MainEntrance4, facing NW:
- Exit to the parking lot.
NEField1, facing NE:
- There's a nice, peaceful area back here that most people don't seem to know about. I think people just don't notice because of all the other very visible attractions in the park.
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NEField5, facing East:
- Zoom to see various house boats.
NEField5, facing West:
- There's a Magic Show happening over there!
NorthFieldM2, facing SW:
- "Kite Hill" in the distance.
NorthFieldM3, facing South:
- Walk this way to the view of Lake Union.
NorthFieldN1, facing NW:
- Parking lot is that-a-way.
NorthPath2, facing West:
- There are different paths to get up the hill.
South1, facing South:
- Unobstructed view of downtown straight ahead.
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- Zoom to see the Space Needle.
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South1, facing SW:
- Zooms of the Space Needle and of a float plane that took off a few seconds after this shot was taken.
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South2, facing South:
- Go down the stairs to walk along the water.
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South4, facing East:
- Looks like a model photo shoot. Good thing they're not recognizable in this photo! ;-)
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South4, facing SE:
- This direction is Eastlake, and in the zoomed area there are lots of house boats (although not that easy to see, even in the zoom, sorry).
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South4, facing South:
- When you get down here it feels like its own little world, separate from the rest of the park.
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- Zooms:
- [center] Just a closer shot of downtown. [right] The Space Needle, which was built for the 1962 Worlds' Fair. [left] The ZymoGenetics building, complete with tall smokestacks. Long ago it was a steam plant. More info about it and the Eastlake area at: http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=3255
South4, facing SW:
- Looking across the water in this direction you can see Queen Anne Hill. In the zooms you can see that there are quite a few large apartment/condo buildings (with fantastic views) overlooking Lake Union.
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South4, facing West:
- This is a somewhat private area - nice for a romantic date. ;-)
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South5, facing North:
- Short cut back up to the park.
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South7, facing North:
- Kite Hill
South7, facing South:
- Zoom; Lake Union is active with small sea planes.
- See http://www.kenmoreair.com/index.php
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South7, facing West:
- Aurora Bridge (Hwy 99) in the distance.
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South7, facing NW:
- Look at this lame graffiti. Why are people so stupid?
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WestField1, facing South:
- Downtown and the Space Needle in the distance.
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- You can zoom in on the Space Needle. Build for the 1962 World's Fair.
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WestField1, facing West:
- Zoom to see the Aurora Bridge. State Highway 99.
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WestField1, facing NW:
- Kite Hill
WestField2, facing North:
- Kite Hill is to your left.
WestField2, facing East:
- Zoom in to see different parts of the structure.
WestField2, facing South:
- Straight ahead to Lake Union.
- Kite Hill is to your right.
WestField3, facing East:
- Zoom to see close-ups of the structure.
WestField3, facing West:
- Ahead of you is the peak of Kite Hill. Keep going!
WestFieldHilltop, facing North:
- You are standing on top of a sundial sculpture! There is an unlinked spot just a few feet north of here. Click it for more details.
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- Wallingford is straight ahead of you. Zoom to see Meridian Ave and/or jump to Wallingford Steps.
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WestFieldHilltop, facing NE:
- You are standing on top of a sundial sculpture! There is an unlinked spot just a few feet north of here. Click it for more details.
WestFieldHilltop, facing East:
- You are standing on top of a sundial sculpture! There is an unlinked spot just a few feet north of here. Click it for more details.
WestFieldHilltop, facing SE:
- You are standing on top of a sundial sculpture! There is an unlinked spot just a few feet north of here. Click it for more details.
WestFieldHilltop, facing South:
- Gorgeous views of Lake Union, with downtown Seattle in the distance.
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- This is a wonderful place to fly a kite in the spring.
WestFieldHilltop, facing SW:
- You are standing on top of a sundial sculpture! There is an unlinked spot just a few feet north of here. Click it for more details.
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- On the other side of Lake Union is Queen Anne Hill, a well-established (and often pricey) neighborhood.
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WestFieldHilltop, facing West:
- You are standing on top of a sundial sculpture! There is an unlinked spot just a few feet north of here. Click it for more details.
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- In the distance you can see the Aurora Bridge (Hwy 99).
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WestFieldHilltop, facing NW:
- You are standing on top of a sundial sculpture! There is an unlinked spot just a few feet north of here. Click it for more details.
WestFieldHillWest, facing East:
- This sculpture is actually a sundial! Click on the unlinked spot just a few feet north of the sundial for more information and detailed views.
WestFieldHillWest, facing South:
- On a beautiful summer day like this there are often lots of boaters on Lake Union. And a few mixed amphibious craft, called Ride The Duck are common as well. It can get crowded!
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WidePath2, facing East:
- Move forward to explore this building. Lots of cool, old heavy-duty machinery.
WidePath2, facing South:
- This way to the Lake Union viewpoint.
WidePath3, facing West:
- This way to Kite Hill.
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