Kerry Park is a small public
park and
viewpoint on the south slope of
Queen Anne Hill in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
, Washington, United States. It overlooks
Downtown Seattle and is located along West Highland Drive between 2nd Avenue West and 3rd Avenue West. The park's view is considered to be the most iconic views of the city skyline, with the
Space Needle
The Space Needle is an observation tower in Seattle, Washington, United States. Considered to be an icon of the city, it has been designated a Seattle landmark. Located in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood, it was built in the Seattle Center ...
prominent at the center,
Elliott Bay
Elliott Bay is a part of the Central Basin region of Puget Sound. It is in the U.S. state of Washington, extending southeastward between West Point in the north and Alki Point in the south. Seattle was founded on this body of water in the 1850s ...
to the west, and
Mount Rainier in the background.
Description and history
The park encompasses and includes a railing and several benches facing south towards the skyline. A stairway on the west end of the park connects below to West Prospect Street and the Bayview-Kinnear Park, which has a small
playground. Kerry Park is named after the couple lumberman and business magnate
Albert S. Kerry and his wife Katharine. They lived nearby, and donated the land to the city in 1927 "so that all who stop here may enjoy
tsview."
At the center of Kerry Park is ''
Changing Form
''Changing Form'' (also known as ''Kinetic'' and ''Volumetric Space Frame'') is an abstract steel sculpture by artist Doris Totten Chase, installed in the center of Seattle's Kerry Park, in the U.S. state of Washington. The sculpture was given by ...
'', a steel sculpture by artist
Doris Totten Chase that stands high and was installed in 1971 with donations from Kerry's children. The sculpture is hollow and is popular as a play area for children and as a framing device for photographers. That view from Kerry Park encompasses downtown Seattle, Elliott Bay, the
West Seattle
West Seattle is a conglomeration of neighborhoods in Seattle, Washington, United States. It comprises two of the thirteen districts, Delridge and Southwest, and encompasses all of Seattle west of the Duwamish River. It was incorporated as an i ...
peninsula,
Bainbridge Island
Bainbridge Island is a city and island in Kitsap County, Washington. It is located in Puget Sound. The population was 23,025 at the 2010 census and an estimated 25,298 in 2019, making Bainbridge Island the second largest city in Kitsap County.
...
, and Mount Rainier.
The view from the park is often used as the backdrop for television news segments on Seattle, as well as other media depictions of the city. Kerry Park was also featured in the opening credits of the 1999 film ''
10 Things I Hate About You
''10 Things I Hate About You'' is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Gil Junger and starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Larisa Oleynik. The screenplay, written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirs ...
'', and in ''
Frasier
''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub ...
'' as the view from the titular character's apartment.
References
External links
Night shot of downtown taken from Kerry ParkPhoto of sculpture, Changing Form
Parks in Seattle
Queen Anne, Seattle
{{KingCountyWA-geo-stub