Belltown P-Patch Grand Opening
For information contact: Myke Woodwell, 441-7702 or Glenn
MacGilvra, 726-8554
Belltown's Founding Gardeners
Opened May 25, 1995
The Belltown P-Patch is a community event for the entire city and
region to celebrate the culmination of six years effort between
community groups, the city and local businesses.
The Belltown P-Patch, an artistically designed collection of
small gardens on a single urban lot at Elliott and Vine, is a
one-of-a-kind public-private venture. The lot was one of several
purchased with funds allocated through the 1989 voter-approved,
$3.5-million Opportunity Fund. From there, a group of Belltown
residents have spent more than 5,000+ volunteer hours toiling and
tilling to fashion a breath of greenery amid the city landscape that
attempts to reflect the creative nature of Belltown and its
citizenry. It took years to work through the legal and
property-ownership obstacles but the Belltown P-Patch will be the
first downtown p-patch and the first p-patch that is part of the
Seattle Parks Department system.
Some Seattle residents may be surprised at the look of the patch.
Less than a year ago, it was largely a weeded, vine-covered lot
distinguishable in the neighborhood only by its bareness. But in the
last several months, p-patch farmers and artists have divided the
plots, wound walkways through them, installed a solar fountain,
constructed a wall, stairway and one-ton gothic gate, designed a
pagoda shed with a bell tower, assembled a mosaic and spiced up the
individual plots with some ornamental touches, ranging from a ceramic
hedgehog to a music box.
The public is invited to visit and take a look at the small piece
of well-tended land, which might help inspire other urban
public-private partnership uses of green space and hope for humankind
in general. Bring the kids and your folks.
Back
Myke
Woodwell / mykejw@speakeasy.org