Madrona Playground Improvements – Seattle WA

Description

In 1927, the Seattle Park Department acquired the site for Madrona Playground at East Spring Street and 34th Avenue. The playground site received a few improvements during the late 1920s and early 1930s, including the grading of the playfield and the construction of a pair of concrete tennis courts, but otherwise remained mostly undeveloped until the late 1930s, when increased Works Progress Administration funding allowed the completion of several improvement projects. These improvement projects included the construction of a new brick shelter house near the north end of the playground. Begun in 1938 and completed in 1939, the shelter house consisted of a playroom, caretaker’s room, and rest rooms. In addition to the construction of the shelter house, the park department also utilized WPA labor to install a new lighting system for the playfield and tennis courts, upgrade the existing water system, and regrade and reseed the playfield. Work on the lighting system began in 1939 and was completed in 1940, while work on the water system and the playfield took place in 1940.