Volunteer Park Conservatory Docent Training Manual

©2023 VPC | Friends of the Conservatory
©2023 VPC | Friends of the Conservatory

Conservatory History

Between its glass ceilings and walls, the conservatory displays thousands of living specimens for public viewing, while thousands of additional specimens are cultivated in the adjacent greenhouses.

Volunteer Park Conservatory: This Victorian style glass conservatory, fashioned after London's Crystal Palace, stands as the focal point at the north end of Volunteer Park. First proposed by the City of Seattle in 1893, the Conservatory was actually incorporated into the Volunteer Park design by the prestigious landscape architects, John Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.

The original Conservatory building was the Palm House, now the center structure linking an east and west wing of two houses each. The Conservatory was manufactured in New York, and then shipped to Seattle and assembled by the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation. It was completed in 1912 for the incredible sum of $5000. The Conservatory and growing houses remain a function of the City of Seattle's Park Department.

The controlled environment within the glass house allows for a unique and diverse collection of plants to thrive. Palms, cacti, bromeliads and cycads are featured, as is an award-winning orchid collection. A rotating seasonal display adds interest and beauty.

Friends of the Conservatory: In 1980, the Friends of the Conservatory (FOC) was organized to encourage the support of this growing legacy. The FOC act as conservators, educators, hosts, and provide a financial resource from their plant sales and other events. Public education through programs in neighborhood schools and lectures has become a priority for FOC. Their vision for the future is an educational facility that responds to the public interest in various horticultural topics. The Conservatory is open for public visits Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00am–4:00pm year-round.

Land Use Acknowledgment: The Friends of the Conservatory acknowledge that Volunteer Park and much of our community is on the unceded ancestral land, the territory of the traditional Indigenous Duwamish Tribe. We know that acknowledgment is a critical first step towards honoring Native communities.

Volunteer Park History

In 1876 the City purchased 40 acres for $2,000 from sawmill engineer, J. Colman (Colman Park) without specifying purpose other than "Municipal". Ordinance 642 B85 defined the purpose as "Washelli Cemetery" but two years later it was changed to "Lake view Park" and grave sites were ordered removed.

By 1893 the Department had cleared about six acres of timber and planted a nursery supplemented with a greenhouse and hotbed. In 1893 the Park Commissioners petitioned City Council to sell the park in order to buy Bailey Peninsula (Seward Park) as more suitable, because this park was "exceedingly dry" - with only a small stream on the west side of the hill, "its isolated position and excessive cost of maintenance." Council rejected the petition.

The hilltop location was an ideal site for the Water Department to build a reservoir in 1901. The water tower standpipe was built in 1906 and became a favorite observation tower (closed during wartime for security reasons). By 1918 a second reservoir was "imperative" to the needs of a growing city; two years of opposition by the Park Board, Jim Hill and the public, and finally by the decision of Judge Allen in 1920.

In 1941 incredulous fire companies were summoned to a blazing tower! Dragging hoses and extinguishers up the narrow winding stairs, they found containers of oil and kerosene on the observation deck. A witness reported two men running from the tower just after the outbreak of flames.

In 1904 the Olmsted Bros. developed plans for Volunteer Park featuring a main concourse occupying the elongated hilltop, formal gardens related to the water feature of the reservoir, and a circuit drive fanning approaches to the concourse as well as extending to Washington Park. Feature of the concourse/water orientation was a long covered pergola with a bandstand and comfort stations.

Music in parks has been part of the Seattle scene since Yesler's Sawmill and Pioneer Square were founded. Music was an important part of the 1909 AYP Exposition and so it was continued all over the city, especially here. The pergola bandstand had no acoustical qualities and was small, so in 1915 a larger, ornate, roofed band shell was built on the site of the present platform. It became the setting for many activities: Easter Sunrise services, Americanization programs, as well as various musical productions. Maintenance and repairs multiplied until finally the bandshell was demolished in 1949 and replaced with the present pipe-frame platform with portable acoustic "splays" and amplifications.

In 1910 there was a strong proposal to build a Washington State Museum of Art in Volunteer Park - vigorously opposed by the Olmsted Bros. So the museum waited until 1932 when it was built as a gift from Mrs. Eugene Fuller and her son, Dr. Richard E. Fuller. By agreement with the Art Institute which provides a public museum of art objects, the Department provides water, light, heat, janitorial and custodial services, and building repairs. An ADT burglar alarm system was added in 1949.

Remodeling and additions to the museum have been largely additional gifts of the Fullers, but new equipment cost was borne by the City. Admission charges must be approved by City ordinance. The conflict foreseen by the Olmsteds of placing a building in a "landscape park" that did not aid in the enjoyment of that landscape has proven true. The museum replaced the vine-covered pergola on the main concourse. Paths had been paved with cinders and by the 1940s damage to the museum floors was evident so a (slow) program of asphalting paths began.

The community petitioned for a children's play area, so the Olmsteds "leveled" the southwest side (recommending acquisition of property along Federal Avenue) and installed play equipment with two concrete stairs down from the drive. Another play area was developed at the northeast corner with a wading pool, swings and pergola comfort stations. The east side of the park was thickly planted to prevent children from running into the double streetcar tracks at the end of the park terminating just to the north. A picturesque "mushroom" waiting station was built at mid-point of the east side (restored in 1968).

The two lily pools were designed as ornamental fountains circled with pavement. A number of children and many dogs fell into them. In 1928 the Park Board authorized a crow hunt by a citizen to reduce the great size of the flock.

Volunteer Monument: Ordinance in 1901 changed the name from "City Park" to Volunteer Park to honor the volunteers of the Spanish-American War (1898–1902). The granite boulder was erected in 1952 promoted by J. Willis Sayre, editor, concert and theater manager, historian and veteran, through the United Spanish War Veterans (designed by Cassius Beardsley). The plaque on the other side of rock is cast from metal of the battleship of that 1898 war, the U.S.S. Maine. The monument was originally on the site of "Black Sun"; relocated in 1971. (The other half of rock is at Sunset Hill Park: Fishermen's Plaque.)

Plaque Removal: In 2020 Seattle Parks & Recreation removed the monument plaque after receiving a letter from a broad-based community task force, coordinated by the Volunteer Park Trust. The plaque was considered inaccurate and offensive in commemorating the volunteer soldiers of the Wars of 1898 (also known as the Spanish-American War) for whom the park is named. Superintendent Jesús Aguirre commented, "Seattle Parks and Recreation seeks to steward our historic parks in a way that fits with our community values. We are grateful to the community and Volunteer Park Trust for bringing a conversation about this historic memorial to the forefront, and for your advocacy to ensure that what is celebrated and remembered in our parks affirms our commitments to advancing racial equity and inclusivity in our public spaces."

The task force will continue to meet to plan a panel discussion to be held, likely online, in October to explore the history of the Wars of 1898, how they affected the countries involved, and how they shaped Seattle's history. If Parks decides to replace the plaque with something more accurate and reflective of the broadly felt impact of the wars, the task force will ask to be involved in the planning.

Art Museum: Gift to City in 1932 from Mrs. Eugene Fuller and son Dr. Richard Fuller. $250,000; C.F. Gould, Architect. Additions given in 1947, 1953, 1955, 1968, and 2019. World renowned collection of Japanese art. "Black Sun" by Isamu Noguchi (1969), black Brazilian granite (41,888 lb.), third major outdoor work in U.S., commissioned by Foundation for Arts and Humanities. "Black (setting) Sun" is sister to Yale's "White (rising) Sun", writhes with organic energy, subtle contours, and shifting balance of volume.

Chinese Sculpture in the museum yard is from the 15th and 16th century. "RIVALRY OF WINDS" cedar sculpture by Dudley Pratt, c. 1930. Placed in 1955. In 2020 the newly remodeled Art Museum was re-opened for the public to enjoy.

The Seward Sculpture and Pedestal by Richard Brooks of New York honors William Seward who was instrumental in purchase of Alaska in 1867. Statue was a feature of the 1909 AYP Exposition on the U.W. grounds; moved to this location in 1910 (Bailey Peninsula was purchased in 1911 - later named Seward Park). Sculpture financed by public subscription, sponsored by G.G. Beninghauser (jeweler), Meany, McGraw, et al.

Burke Monument: Base relief by Herman McNeil, pedestal-bench-plaza by C.F. Gould, architect. Dedicated in 1930 to honor pioneer Judge Thomas Burke (1849–1925) "patriot, jurist, orator friend, patron of education", promoter of Pacific Rim harmony and trade; instrumental in bringing transcontinental railroad to Seattle. $50,000; memorial contributed by admirers of Judge Burke.

"Block" Playsculpture: By Chas. Smith, U.W. sculptor, 1962. Honors Dorothy W. Block (1926-1961) for her interest in and activities with children; Park Commissioner 1959–1961. Sculpture sponsored by Block Foundation.

Conservatory: An outstanding display of flowering plants from all areas of the world, including the notable orchid collection, a gift from Anna H. Clise in 1919; 600 varieties. The Conservatory was built in 1912.

Water Tower: Built by Water Department 1906, reservoir in 1901. 106 steps to observation deck above road pavement at base (top elev. 520') (Space Needle top elevation, 725'); pavement at elevation 444.5' is high point of Capitol Hill. MEDALLION on the north side honors L.B. Youngs, first Superintendent of Water Department (1895-1923) and Superintendent of Light Department (1904-1910); bronze by V.T. Goumas.

Bandstand: Music in Parks began in pioneer days in Pioneer Square, became a feature of the 1909 AYP Exposition; the Olmsteds included a bandstand in their plans for Volunteer Park. The original pergola bandstand lacked acoustics, so in 1915 a larger roofed band shell was constructed on the present platform site. It hosted many events until demolition in 1949, replaced by the current pipe-frame platform with portable acoustics and amplification.

Features in Volunteer Park:

It was a festive, bawdy, gold rush mood in 1898 when the Spanish allegedly sank the battleship Maine; in a burst of ecstatic war fever more volunteers than were needed enlisted to fight in what became known as the Spanish-American War.

The two lily pools were designed as ornamental fountains circled with pavement. A number of children and many dogs accidentally fell into them over the years.

In 1928, the Park Board authorized a citizen to conduct a crow hunt in order to reduce the overly large flock residing in the park.

The community petitioned for children's play areas, so the Olmsteds leveled the southwest side (recommending property acquisition along Federal Avenue) and installed play equipment with concrete stairs down from the drive. Another play area with a wading pool, swings and pergola comfort stations was developed at the northeast corner. The east side was densely planted to prevent children from running into the streetcar tracks terminating just north of the park. A picturesque "mushroom" waiting station was built mid-point on the east side in 1968.

Paths were initially paved with cinders, but by the 1940s the dust was damaging the museum floors, prompting a program to gradually asphalt the pathways.

The vine-covered pergola on the main concourse was removed when the museum building was constructed in 1932 as a gift from the Fuller family, despite the Olmsteds' objections about placing a building that didn't enhance the landscape park experience.