Gas Works Park in Seattle, Washington, is a 19.1-acre public park (77,000 m 2 ) at the site of the former Gas Smoke Gasification Company, located on the north shore of Lake Union at the southern end of Wallingford neighborhood. The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 2, 2013, more than a decade after being nominated.
The Gas Works Garden contains the remains of the remaining coal gasification plant in the United States. The factory operated from 1906 to 1956 and was purchased by City of Seattle for park purposes in 1962. The park was opened to the public in 1975. The park was designed by Seattle landscape architect Richard Haag, who won the American Society of Landscape Architects President's Design Excellence Award for project. The conversion of the factory into a garden was completed by the Daviscourt Construction Company of Seattle.
Originally named Myrtle Edwards Park, after the city council who had pioneered the drive to get the site and who died in a car crash in 1969. In 1972, the Edwards family requested that his name be taken from the park because of the so-called design for storage of most plants. In 1976, Elliott Bay Park, north of Seattle's Belltown neighborhood, was renamed Myrtle Edwards Park.
Video Gas Works Park
Ikhtisar
Gas Works Park combines many pieces of old plants. Some stand as ruins, while others have been reconditioned, painted, and put into "children's" barn structures, constructed in part from what is a smoke-extinguishing plant from the factory. A website affiliated with the Seattle Times newspaper said, "Gas Works Park is easily a strange park in Seattle and may be one of the most bizarre in the world."
Gas Works Park is also equipped with an artificial kite kite with a sunset engraving built at its peak. This park for many years is the exclusive site of the summer series "Peace Concert". The concert is now shared among several Seattle parks. The park also has for many years hosted one of the two major July fireworks events in Seattle; in 2009, it was the only event. The park is the traditional endpoint of the Solstice Bicycle Rider and the starting point for Nakal Naked Bikes Seattle.
The park was originally one end of the Burke-Gilman bike path and foot, which ran along Seattle's deserted right lane, the Lake Shore, and the abandoned Eastern Railway. However, the trail has now been extended several kilometers northwest, passing the Fremont neighborhood to Ballard.
Soil and groundwater at the site were contaminated during operation as a gasification plant. The 1971 Master Plan calls for "clearing and reforesting" the park through bio-phytoremediation. Although the presence of organic pollutants has substantially diminished in the mid-1980s, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington State Department of Ecology require additional measures, including disposing and limiting waste, and air suctioning in the southeast of the site to try to remove benzene which is a theoretical source of pollutants reached Lake Union via groundwater. There is no known area of ​​contamination of the surface soil remaining on the site today, though tar is sometimes still seeps from several sites within the site and is isolated and removed.
Despite its somewhat secluded location, this park has been the site of a number of political demonstrations. This includes seven months continuous vigilance under the name of PeaceWorks Park, contrary to the Gulf War. The show began at a peace concert in August 1990 and continued until after the end of the shooting war. Among the people who participated in candlelight at one point or another were former congressmen and future governors Mike Lowry, then city council member Sue Donaldson, the 1960s icon Timothy Leary, and defeated poet Allen Ginsberg.
Gas Works Park has been the setting for movies like Singles and 10 Things I Hate About You. It has been featured twice on the Amazing Amazing Race television reality show: once as the finish line for Season 3 and other times as the starting line for Season 10.
The building is Seattle City Landmark and Washington State Landmark.
Maps Gas Works Park
Initial history
Gas Works Park occupies 20.5 hectares (8.3 acres) of promontory between the northwestern arm and northeast Lake Union. Little is known about the history of pre-Euro-American sites, but there are Native American settlements around Lake Union. The original names for Lake Union include Kah-chug , Tenas Chuck , and Xa'ten . In the mid-19th century Thomas Mercer named him "Lake Union" in the hope that future channels linked him to Puget Sound and to Lake Washington. The dense forest still descends to the water's edge and the lake flows into Salmon Bay through a river "full of wind and brush bluffs, not even passable for canoeing". (Bass 1947, p33) Lake Union in the 1860-70s was a popular vacation spot with Seattleites for summer home-boating and picnicking.
Several sawmills operate on Union Union shores in the 1850s, taking advantage of dense forests. Beginning in 1872, the Seattle Coal and Transportation Company transported coal from the Renton Hill mine across the lake to portage across to Puget Sound. In the 1880s came a Denny sawmill at the southern end of Union Lake, brick making, ship building, leather tanning, and ironwork. The canal with a small key was cut in 1885 from Lake Washington to Lake Union, and from Lake Union to the Bay of Salmon. It is suitable for transporting logs, but not for shipping. The arrival of Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway in 1887 ensured that Lake Union would continue to be the focus of industrial development. In 1900, the Seattle Light Gas Company began buying many of these headlands (Secrist, Title Search) and its coal gas plant began operations in 1906. At that time, the neighborhood was known as Edgewater (see map, Commons: File: map of Seattle 1909. jpg.)
The Seattle Gas Light Company bought much of the north coastal promontory from 1900 to 1909. Despite the fact that the land was acquired by the gas company, Olmsted Brothers in 1903 recommended that "... the point of land between the northeast and northwest of the Lake Union arms and rail trains should be secured as local parks, because of its advantages to rule the lake and for boating, and for playgrounds. "(Olmsted Brothers 1903, p 47)
In 1911, Virgil Bogue produced a civil master plan for the Seattle City Plans Commission where it promoted the idea of ​​Lake Union as an industrial estate: "The fact that (Lake Union) is located in the heart of the city shows that if properly developed it will be the most important factor in commercial activity and urban business. "(Seattle City Planning Commission 1911, p 78) The completion of the Ship Channel at Lake Washington and Ballard Locks in 1917 ensured the success of the shipbuilding and shipbuilding industry in Lake Union as well as the vision of Bogue, despite the fact that its plan was defeated. by voters.
The gas-making plant at Lake Station at Lake Union is the largest private utility in Seattle. It was operated as "Seattle Lighting Company" until 1930, when the name was changed to "Seattle Gas Company". The main product is gas lightening (so-called because it is used for lighting) made from coal. The gas is then also used for cooking, cooling, and heating the house and water. It is also called city gas to distinguish it from natural gas. The gas was made from coal until 1937 when the high operating costs of the old coke ovens and coal-fired power plants forced the replacement of oil. A pair of oil-to-gas generators were built in 1937 and long-dismantled coal-gas facilities were dismantled. In 1946-1947, two pairs of oil gas generators were built to meet the demand for gas. Because the by-products of gas manufacturers have a strong market, new equipment is installed at the same time to produce "Gasco charcoal briquettes", toluene, naphtha solvents, sulfur, xylene, and tar resin.
The main manufacturing and support facilities consist of storage tanks, boiler houses, pump houses and compressors, offices, and laboratories. Onsite support includes electricity, carpentry, machinery, blacksmiths, and welding shops. Additional facilities include a stable first aid station, and a fire-safe house for storing fire control materials. Running through the northern part of the site is the 50-ft-15-m-right path of Burlington Northern Railroad. Trains from the days of coal are still in front of the laboratory and office buildings.
In 1954, the Lake Station factory used 1,071 miles (1,724 km) of primary gas to serve Seattle, Renton, Kent and Tukwila. The factory served about 43,198 subscribers in 1940, declining to 36,200 in 1954. The company averaged approximately 130 employees, with four crew of 23 people per shift, spinning 24 hours a day in 7 days of running. Urban gas production ended in 1956 when Seattle was converted to natural gas.
Displays appearance and characteristics
Although gas production ceased in 1956, the building and manufacturing structure remained intact in 1962 when Seattle City began purchasing abandoned gas works. The purchase price of $ 1,340,000 was provided by Forward Thrust bonds, and HUD payments were made from 1962 to 1972, and the debt was retired.
During this period, there was considerable public discussion about whether the site should be developed or made into a park. Park supporters led by Myrtle Edwards win. In 1970, Richard Haag Associates (RHA) was defended by the Seattle Park Board to conduct site analysis and master plans for a new park at the gas plant site. RHA opens an office on-site to research and analyze factory locations. Richard Haag realizes that the site contains the latest gas works and unique opportunities for preservation. Haag recommends preservation of parts of the plant for its "historical, aesthetic and utilitarian value". (Master Plan, April 1971) After a strong public appeal to convince the public of the value of the plant, the RHA's 1971 master plan for industrial conservation parks was unanimously approved by the Park Council. The proposal centered on the recycling of buildings, production structures, machinery, and even their own yards. Through bio-phyto-remediation techniques, soil and water will be "cleaned and greened". Through adaptive preservation and reuse of key structures, the rich history of the site and thus important aspects of Seattle will be maintained and revealed.
The abandoned gas production plant and land was diverted to Seattle City in 1975, the same year as Gas Works Park (GWP) opened to the public. The park site consists of 20.5 hectares (83,000 m 2 ) of land projecting 400 feet (120 m) into Lake Union with 1,900 ft (580 m) coastline. The site is bordered by Northlake Avenue to the north and borders Lake Union to the east and south. The Wallingford neighborhood is to the north. Directly adjacent to the park are the remnants of the industrial development of the area. Industry dominance was quickly replaced by retail development. North of North 40th Street area is dominated residential neighborhood.
The park enters through a beautiful parking area or via the Burke-Gilman Trail, a bicycle and walking path that connects Puget Sound to Lake Washington. Dividing the parking area of ​​the park is a grassy dike and rows of trees that restrict old railroads right on the road. The park consists of seven areas: Earth Mound, North Lawn, Towers, Prow, Picnic Lawn and Shelter, Play Barn, and South Lawn (Figure 7). Earth Mounds, Prow, and Grass are open areas devoted to passive and active recreation and offer stunning views. The Towers, Play Barn, and Picnic Shelters are adapted from the original manufacturing structure.
The park is also featured in the movie 10 Things You Hate About You during a scene where two characters play paintball.
​​â € <â €
Part of the master plan, known as the "Big Mound", the hill is formed from thousands of cubic meters of debris from the foundation of the building covered with fresh humus. The sun at the top of the mound was created by two local artists, Chuck Greening and Kim Lazare. Formed from concrete and depicted with rocks, shells, glass, bronze and many other materials, the clock shows the time by using the visitor's body as a gnomon. The shadow of the audience tells the times and seasons.
North and south lawns and picnic pages
The soil has been refracted with 18 "mud and sawdust This process has decontaminated the soil and allows for field grass growth which allows constant and difficult use with low maintenance.
Tower
There are two groups: 1) six synthetic natural gas generating towers with an officer processing tower, and 2) oil absorber and oil cooler (between Play Barn and generator). Generators are operated in pairs and built at different times.
(A): Towers 1 and 2 (largest and closest to the lake) are Semet-Solvay type generators built in 1937-1938. Each one has an outer shell made of steel welded inside with a refractory brick. Tower 1 is 80 ft (24 m) and Tower 2 is 75 feet (23 m) tall. At its peak they can produce 6 million cubic feet (170,000 mÃ,³) of gas per day.
B): Towers 3 and 4 were built in 1947, Towers 5 and 6 (northernmost), in 1947. They had the same inner brick and steel-welded steel shells as Towers 1 and 2, but smaller. The four towers have an outer diameter of 22 feet (6.7 m) and 50 feet (15 m) high. The brick layer has an inner diameter of 20 feet (6.1 m) and 33 1 / 2 feet (10, 2 m) high. The outer shell is equipped with nozzles for pipe and instrument connections, access doors, air blast doors, gas outlets, and vision holes. The towers rest on concrete columns. (Blueprints, 1945-46).
Washing boxes and scrubbers associated with 3-6 generators were also built in 1946-47. Small tanks (10 feet [3.0 m] in diameter, height [3.4 m], each mounted on three supporting legs) next to the generator are washers, one per generator. For each pair of washers there is one main scrubber resting on a concrete base and 48 ft (15 m) in height (11.5 ft [3.5 m] in diameter). The output of two primary scrubbers goes into a single secondary scrubber of welded steel construction (12 foot diameter [3.7 m], height 68Ã, ft [21 m]). The farthest of the generators are two small tanks (about 20Ã, ft [6.1 m] tall) which are the original secondary scrubber. All the pipes connecting these towers are the 3 / 16 inch (4.8 mm) plate. (Blueprints, 1945-46)
Between the generator and the play warehouse standing oil absorber (80 ft) and colder (40 ft). The cooling tower lowers the temperature of the light-oil-gas mixture from the scrubber, then oil is separated from the gas in the oil-absorbing tower. Light oil is a secondary product of benzene, toluene and naphtha solvents.
The prow
This concrete platform was built in 1936 as a coal unloading area. The platform is integrated into garden designs and handrails housed on the lakeside.
Play warehouse and picnic spot
The building dates back to the original gas-coal facility (ca 1910) and is constructed of wood. The pump house (also known as the exhauster house) is about 7,340 sq ft (682 m 2 ) and the boiler house is about 5,720 sq ft (531 m 2 ). Wooden frames of both buildings remain intact and placed on the foundation of concrete slabs.
The boiler house, now a picnic haven, initially houses two boilers. One provides steam for the gasification process; the other provides steam for the steam engine that drives the Pump House compressor. The tubes from one boiler remain in place at the eastern end of the building and are an impressive display of rare industrial technology.
The pump house now is a play granary. Most pumps, compressors, and piping still exist. The 3,000 hp (2,200 kWW) 10 ton short (9.1 t) compressor flywheel ran continuously to keep the plant running 24 hours a day. In the air of this building is compressed for the oxygen extraction process, the oxygen is then pumped into the generator for the first stage of gas manufacture, and the final product is compressed and pumped into the storage tank or below the main line to the customer..
Outside the playhouse, the only surviving smoke hoods have been renewed as a play structure for climbing. Designed and built by the Company in 1935, three were installed to reduce pollutant emissions.
The concrete railway is now part of the GWP entrance. They were part of the original 1906 gas plant and ran along the north side of the Office and Laboratory Building. Nothing is left of this building, but the trestles show where the railway ends and the coal is sent. Coal cars will climb up the hill and release coal into the car parked under the bridge.
GWP is designed to be an urban and intensive pleasure place using a unique structure. "The traditional escape from the city to the setting of sylvan in remote areas has changed for many to become more active searches Introspection and retreats are easily achieved without physical isolation, but the facilities for social interaction with people other than close friends are more rare with respect to population growth... new sites should be offered in a wide and varied park system to accommodate experimentation and innovation in both design and programming. "(Master Plan, 1971) Due to the magnificent structure of the Gas Factory and its environment, GWP complements the rich heritage of Post-Victoria parks in Seattle and offer expanded programs in ways that the latter can not. Throughout each year, hundreds of thousands of people use GWP. They gather to celebrate Independence Day and watch the fireworks. Concerts, kites, jogs, public meetings, and open spaces and views of the park itself are attractions that make GWP always used.
Historical sense
Gas Works Park is a unique landmark for Seattle City. The original structure qualifies as industrial archeology and is the last remaining example of this type of technology. The structure has not only been preserved but has been integrated into an innovative garden design. Paul Goldberger writes in the New York Times that Seattle will have one of the most sophisticated urban landscape designs in the country The complex array of towers, tanks and gas pipelines creates a strong shape, the industry is alive... serve both as a visual focus for the park and as a monument to the city's past industry.This park is a complete reversal of the period when industrial monuments were regarded, even by preservationists, as an ugly distraction on the landscape, to a time when a gas-like structure of work was recognized for its ability "(NY Times, 8/30/75) The possible status of the National Historic Landmark was recognized in 1971 when Victor Steinbrueck inventoried Gas Works and Eric DeLony of the National Park Service wrote:" Gas Works Park will not only be the first in the United States, if not the world, but will be an important precedent for the preservation of industrial structures d epan through imaginative plans for adaptive use. "
The combination of dramatic sites and historic structures with innovative garden designs only enhances the importance of Gas Works Park. The integrity of the original Gas Works is impressive. Although not all structures are saved, decisive characters and prominent tower groups remain. The reuse of pump houses and boiler houses has retained the building structure and many machines. This site retains its original limits and the lake front.
The Seattle Gas Company's production plant located at Lake Union, now known as Gas Works Park, was co-founded by one of Seattle's foremost pioneers, Arthur A. Denny. Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, the Gas Company was a significant participant and contributor to the growth of Seattle and the adjacent community. Although the main product is city gas for energy, it also produces other basic products necessary for urban growth: roof tar; soot for pigments in tires and inks; charcoal briquettes for smelly and efficient house heating; sulfur for insecticides, ammonium sulfate, and sulfuric acid; and toluene for use in explosives. Toluene was in great demand during World War II, and production was essential to war effort (for example, to make TNT and various types of gunpowder). Through these products gas work contributes integrally not only to daily commercial and domestic life in Seattle but also to interests at the national level.
The structures and machines that stand in GWP today are the remnants of the Industrial Revolution that changed the face of the world. GWP is the only survivor of the gas work of that era in the United States, preserved as a public park. This is the only documentable site with most intact generating equipment. During its production era, the gasification plant was just one of 1400 such factories in the US, but is now a collection of unique and dramatic technological revolutionary industrial technologies. Although these obsoles, towers, machines, and buildings are monuments to human creativity and offer a visual statement of pioneering technology. As UW Professor of Anthropology Kenneth Read so eloquently declared, "History is in this small desert, not only the parochial history of a particular city, but also a part of the history of the world and culture." It is certainly valuable as any document stored in the Museum History and Industry. "(Read 1969, pp. 43-45)
In addition to its early history, the impact of Gas Works Park on land reclamation and industrial and engineering preservation attitudes far surpassed Seattle. GWP has gained national and international positions as a prototype for the conversion of industrial sites. It is studied, cited as an exemplary model, and is referenced in educational textbooks and scientific papers. Since its opening, GWP has won many awards for design excellence, vision, and innovation. The jury for the President's Excellence Award stated: "A very original and exciting example of how to regain the seemingly hopeless and outdated industrial installations Instead of being destroyed or disguised, it has turned into a mild environment... A project of historical significance for community The symbol of American technology is preserved. "The list of awards and exhibitions is given in Appendix A, the bibliography of the selected work on the topic of GWP in Appendix B, and the full site chronology, dating from 1851, in Appendix C.
Gas Works Park and its towers have scales and shapes that are easily seen from any location around Lake Union. This park is a real part of Seattle's early history and technology of the industrial revolutionary era. The towers are the presence of gothic statues and the contrast of the monolithic forms superimposed on the city's skyline is unique and visually appealing. This experience is further strengthened by changes in the perspective gained by moving around and through other forms of the era. "The black shape of the tower at their grassy point jumps out with a startling clarity to the bright collage of the coastline, a silhouette that might be a pictogram for the works of industrial man." (Australian Landscape, February 1980)
Gas Works Park is also a masterpiece by its designer, Richard Haag, Seattle's leading landscape architect. Haag is the only person twice to receive the American Landscape Architect Award for design excellence, one of the awards given for his Gas Works Park design. Haag has received international recognition for its design of Gas Works Park.
References
Literature
- William S. Saunders (Ed.): Richard Haag. Bloedel Reserve and Gas Works Park. New York: Princeton Architectural Press 1998
- Pirzio-Biroli: "Adaptive reuse Layering meaning on sites of industrial ruins." at: Arcade journal 23/2004
- Udo Weilacher: Landscape syntax. Basel Berlin Boston: Birkhauser Publisher 2008. ISBN: 978-3-7643-7615-4
External links
- Department of Parks page at Gas Works Park
- Gasworks Park is archived from GoSleepGo
- VR QuickTime movie from the park
- 2003 government report, "Sediment Poisoning Near Gas Works Park"
- The Washington State Dept of Ecology page on Gas Works Park
- PeaceWorks Park Vigil, on the Seattle Wiki
- View from Westlake to waterfront Gas Works Park
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments