On a blustery, cold winter day, the fences were removed from the newly constructed High Point play area.
High Point play area sits behind the High Point Community Center in West Seattle, next to the Walt Hundley Playfield.
A few facts about this park:
- The park sits at the highest point in Seattle (520 feet above sea level, and about 70 feet higher than Queen Anne or Capitol Hill).
- The playfield is named after Walt Hundley, who was the first African American Superintendent of Seattle Parks (from 1977 to 1988). Mr. Hundley helped acquire this site for the field and community center.
With a brand-new play area, this park has it all! The park includes a lit, synthetic turf field, which hosts neighborhood teams and regional soccer tournaments. It also features a baseball diamond as well as a walking loop, and the adjacent community center has programs for kids, seniors, teens, and adults.
The new play area was designed by Seattle Parks and Recreation’s very own landscape architect, Bronwen Carpenter. Bronwen has been with the department for the last few years as our in-house landscape architect, and High Point was the first project she designed on her own.
The new play area is almost five times the size of the old one and incorporates a tall climbing tower to give little adventurers an exceptional view of downtown Seattle. During the community meetings, we heard that folks would love swings, and we delivered.
The play area is colorful, whimsical, and encourages kids to climb, run, jump, and enjoy playing outdoors. There are multiple seating areas surrounding the site, and a beautiful northwest rain garden (the perfect spot to start a conversation about native plants and rain runoff).
Seattle Parks and Recreation has been renovating playgrounds across the city thanks to funding from the Seattle Park District! David Rodgers in Queen Anne, Lakeridge Park in Rainier Beach, E.C. Hughes in Delridge, Wallingford Playfield, and so many more are on their way. Learn more here.
An Opening Celebration for the new High Point play area is planned for Saturday, March 23 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. We hope to see you there!