page_title: Bellevue Downtown Park
section_title: Design competition
hierarchical_section_title: Bellevue Downtown Park / Design competition
caption_attribution_description: English: Aerial photo looking east toward the future site of Bellevue's Downtown Park (circa early 1980s). To the left is Bellevue Square. The streets running North-South are 100th Avenue Northeast, 102nd Ave NE (vacated), and 104th Ave NE (Bellevue Way NE) from bottom to top. The east-west street at left is NE 4th Street.
context_page_description: Bellevue Downtown Park is a 20-acre park located in downtown Bellevue, Washington, United States, a suburb of Seattle. The park consists of a circular ring with a large central greenspace that is surrounded by a moat and walking trails. It is situated between Bellevue Square Mall to the north, Bellevue Way to the east, and Main Street to the south.
  The idea for a park in downtown Bellevue was created from civic and private leadership, which saw the City's potential for shaping its future during a time of rapid growth and development. In the early 1980s, economic forces were rapidly influencing the character of downtown Bellevue. Its center was emerging as a hub for commercial and business activity, and the city was seen as a desirable residential community. In the middle of this dynamic period of growth, the City Council and community leaders saw the necessity of creating an amenity within the City which would help define its character and provide open space in an increasingly urban downtown core. The park was designed for passive and unstructured use, and as a "respite from the activities of busy urban life."
context_section_description: An international competition was conducted to select the design concept for Downtown Park.  As a first step in formulating a competition program, a survey was distributed to 55,000 businesses and households asking what they envisioned in a downtown park.  A majority of the 5,000 respondents indicated a preference for a pedestrian-oriented green space that would remain relatively free of buildings and special interest facilities.  A total of 67 entries, each of whom paid $100 to enter the competition, were received from throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.  These entries were judged by a jury consisting of local leaders, Bellevue staff, and the chairpersons of the University of Washington's School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture.
  In December, 1984, the jury recommended the concept submitted by Beckley-Myers of Milwaukee.  The design itself called for a circular promenade for walking which defined a 10-acre (40,000 m²) open space bordered by a canopy of trees, and a continuous canal terminating in a giant waterfall and reflecting pool.  Between the promenade and surrounding streets, the design proposed opportunities to create small park venues, such as formal gardens, outdoor performance areas, picnic spaces, and children's playgrounds, which all ranked highly in the citizens' survey.
  One unique element of the park's design is the preservation of the footprint of Bellevue's former South Union High School, originally located on the Downtown Park site.  The footprint can readily be seen on aerial photos of the park, in the northeast quadrant of the large open meadow.
caption: Aerial photo looking east toward the future site of Bellevue's Downtown Park (circa early 1980s). Bellevue Square is to the left.
exif: {}