The call for names for a new park at 19th and Madison created a flurry of creativity. Now the community group working to make the park a reality is trying to winnow the list of candidates down to a Top 3. Here are the 15 suggested names for the greenspace that made the cut.
You can weigh in on your top 3 here.
- Acute Triangle Park: For geometric reasons, a play on words for “A Cute Triangle.”
- Big Leaf Park: Honoring the preservation of the outstanding maple tree on the property.
- Cayton Corner Park: Susie Revels was the daughter of Hiram Revels, the first black person elected to the U.S. Senate. She moved to Seattle and in 1896 married Horace Cayton, editor of the Republican Weekly. Together they published the newspaper and had the 2nd highest circulation in Seattle while appealing to both black and white readers. Both graduated from college and promoted education. They were active in the African American community and local politics.
- Chas Bo Park: Chas Bo’s Milk Palace and Produce Emporium, a milk and vegetable stand was located on this corner from 1977 until 1980.
- Fratelli’s Cows Park: Fratelli’s Ice Cream headquarters and distribution center were directly north of the park. It’s noted for the cow mural hand painted by one of the owners, which represented cows in different artistic styles that served as a landmark for about twenty years. Fratelli means brother in Italian.
- Gdynia Park: Seattle’s Polish sister city. The Polish Cultural Center has been in the neighborhood since 1920.
- Helen Keller Park: Born in Alabama, she lost her sight, speech and hearing at 19 months old. Through the help of Ann Sullivan she transformed from a disruptive child to a highly educated and respected individual. She gave lectures in Seattle in 1914, 1921, 1938 and visited the city briefly while returning from her world tour in 1948.
- Longlight Park: The traffic light at this corner is just about the longest in Seattle, or at least it was in the ’90s. People used to get out of their cars (north & southbound) to press the “walk” request button to get it to change faster.
- MadCap Park: Madison Capitol Hill combined.
- Manuel Lopes Park: Historians consider him to be the first African American in Seattle. Of Portuguese-African descent he worked on whaling ships. In Seattle, he worked as a cook for Dexter Horton, a well-known banker, and was listed in his household in 1860. He also worked as a barber.
- Mini Grand Central Park: A tiny park with big ideas. Also refers to a busy place.
- Nexus Park: It’s at the nexus of several neighborhoods and changing history.
- Octavia Butler: Californian African American science fiction writer, who earned the Nebula Award, Hugo Award and MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant. She earned these awards while living in California, she moved to Lake Forest Park in October 1999 and died there five years later in February 2006. She was elected to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2010.
- Rising Sun Park: The Rising Sun Fruit, Vegetable and Milk stand stood on this corner from 1981 until 2004. The corner is on the east side of Second or Renton Hill so gets the sunrises.
- William Renton Park: Captain Renton owned the property in the 1880’s and earned a living through his lumber, coal and shipping operations in the area. He was blind at the time of his death. He employed Native Americans and African Americans at his mill. In 1860, he employed 3 African Americans at a time when only 56 lived in the territory. On early maps of Seattle, this area was known as Renton or Renton Hill.
Nineteen Madison Park. Bam!
It really does not matter what you call it, the Parks Dept. will name it whatever it wants to, like the I-90 lid park. The surrounding neighborhoods of the I-90 lid park held a similar contest and but forth the most popular names, all ignored by the Parks Dept. who picked what they wanted, none of which was put forth by the community. That is why it is still called the I-90 lid park.
I liked Sunrise since it directly relates to the location and its history. I was amused by “long light.” It may have been “long light” waiting for a green light, but it was and I believe is still is a “short light” for the pedestrian crossing E. Madison.
Our own little Renton right hear in snobberviille. I vote for Renton.
MadCap Park! Totally delightful!
I agree!
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Rising Sun Park
MadCap Park
Longlight Park