The Significance of Gas Works Park

At Seattle’s physical and metaphysical heart, Gas Work Park rises above Lake Union. The Park is nationally and internationally heralded as the first post-industrial landscape to have been transformed into a public park. Besides acknowledging the history and pollution of energy extraction, the counter-intuitive and extraordinary design of the Park initiated a radical new method of bioremediation, and the cleaning of toxic soils on-site instead of covering it up and bulldozing away its memory. Today, the gasworks industrial towers mark the Seattle skyline and form the core of one of city’s favorite and much-loved parks.

Gas Works Park Alliance (GWPA) is a coalition of dedicated professionals and nonprofit organizations committed to the development of a preservation master plan for the landmarked Gas Works Park towers. Designed by visionary landscape architect Richard Haag and opened in the 1970s, the former gas works occupies the northern promontory extending into Lake Union and is a center of city life flourishing with festivals, concerts, and daily activities. Once an abandoned industrial relic, the Park is now a stunning beloved City landmark with an important story to tell as we grapple with the history and impacts of human settlement. Its listing in the National Register of Historic Places also speaks to its significance on a national scale.

Please view the video interview of Professor Thaisa Way summarizing the role and history of Gas Works Park.

This video and The Cultural Landscape Foundation repository of documentation tells the story. The Cultural Landscape Foundation Gas Works Park

Why a GoFundMe Campaign and How the Funds Will Be Used

Maintenance and on-going stewardship is needed to protect this important landmark. The towers have been fenced off for decades. It has become critical for the private and nonprofit sectors to stand up before we lose this important landmark forever.

The GWPA is committed to a proactive, transparent, and informed approach to this landmark through a thorough assessment of the condition of the iconic towers and development of a preservation plan to steward this local and national treasure into the future.

Working with community members and with City of Seattle cooperation, we have developed a plan for a first assessment of tower condition with recommendations for stewardship. A team of qualified professionals has begun onsite assessment which will result in recommendations for protection, stewardship, and maintenance. This first phase will be followed by further planning to address opportunities for access, increased maintenance, funding, and the true stewardship and celebration of the landmark.

With this GoFundMe campaign and YOUR help we will acquire the capital needed to complete this first phase assessment which has an estimated budget of $80,000. As of September 1, 2026, we have successfully obtained funding for $27,000 including a grant from 4Culture, and individual contributions as well as a commitment of $25,000 in pro-bono contributions. We are pursuing another $13,000 in grant money and with this GoFundMe campaign, our goal is to close the gap of approximately $15,000 dollars. This will allow us to fully fund Phase One of the Preservation Plan and complete this phase by Spring of 2027.

Next

The long-term planning and stewardship of Gas Works Park and its towers require cooperation and commitment from the City of Seattle to steward this remarkable resource. The GWPA is continuing to work with elected officials, the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board, and Seattle Parks and Recreation to find a constructive path forward - this is a win-win for everyone.

The Gas Works Park Alliance includes the following organizations: Allied Arts Foundation | Allied Arts of Seattle | Friends of Gas Works Park | Historic Seattle | The Cultural Landscape Foundation | Washington Trust for Historic Preservation