Day 66: Dr. José Rizal Park, Seattle, Washington
📌APIA Every Day 66 - Dr. José Rizal Park is a 9.6-acre public park on the north end of Beacon Hill in Seattle, Washington. The site, shaped by decades of city regrading projects and Interstate 5 and 90 construction, was transferred to the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department in 1971 and renamed from Golf Drive Park in 1974 at the request of the local Filipino community. A formal design by architect Elaine Day LaTourelle & Associates was funded through federal community development block grants secured in 1978, and construction was completed in 1981. The Development Committee, led by community members including Vic Bacho and Trinidad Rojo, was closely involved in the planning process throughout.
The park's designed gathering space along Twelfth Avenue South includes an amphitheater, covered picnic shelter, restroom, parking area, and a central mall. The "East is West" mural (1981) by Filipino American artist Val Laigo, a triptych of ceramic tile, art glass, and cut glass, depicts Philippine history on its east face and an abstract expressionist composition on its west face. A bronze bust of Dr. José Rizal by Filipino sculptor Anastacio Caedo was installed on a granite pedestal in 1989. Both the mural and the bust were funded through separate grant and community fundraising efforts.
The park was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in 2024. It was listed under Criterion A for its association with the history of Seattle's Filipino American community, and under Criteria Consideration G as a property achieving significance within the past 50 years.
LEARN MORE:
Dr. Jose Rizal Park National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form
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