Occidental Park, also referred to as Occidental Square (north of S. Main Street) and Occidental Mall (south of S. Main Street), is a 0.6 acre (2,400 m²) public
park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
located in the
Pioneer Square district of
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
.
Description and history
Created in 1971, the park consists of the Occidental Avenue S. right-of-way between S. Washington and S. Jackson Streets, in addition to half a city block between S. Main and S. Jackson Streets. The former
Waterfront Streetcar
The Waterfront Streetcar, officially the George Benson Waterfront Streetcar Line, was a heritage streetcar line run by King County Metro in Seattle, Washington, United States. It traveled for along Alaskan Way on the city's waterfront facing ...
bisected the park, running along S. Main Street. The park is in the heart of Seattle's largest art gallery district, and several galleries face onto Occidental Mall. The
Downtown Seattle Association
Downtown is the central business district of Seattle, Washington. It is fairly compact compared with other city centers on the U.S. West Coast due to its geographical situation, being hemmed in on the north and east by hills, on the west b ...
began "activating" the park with summertime seating and activities in 2015 under a
public–private partnership
A public–private partnership (PPP, 3P, or P3) is a long-term arrangement between a government and private sector institutions.Hodge, G. A and Greve, C. (2007), Public–Private Partnerships: An International Performance Review, Public Administ ...
, also bringing events to be hosted in the park.
Occidental Park is the starting point for the "March to the Match", a parade of
Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...
supporters
In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the Escutcheon (heraldry), shield and depicted holding it up.
Early forms of supporters are found in medieval seals. H ...
to
Century Link Field
Lumen Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. Located in the city's SoDo neighborhood, it is the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL), the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL, ...
prior to each home game.
The ''
Fallen Firefighters Memorial'' is a bronze sculpture group by
Hai Ying Wu
Hai Ying Wu (also known as Jason Wu) is a Chinese American sculpture, sculptor best known for his firefighter memorials. and his memorial commemorating the Auto-Lite Strike in Toledo, Ohio.
A native of China, Wu received his degree in sculpture ...
. It was inspired by the deaths of four Seattle firefighters who died January 5, 1995 fighting a
fire in the Mary Pang warehouse in Seattle's
International District.
[Casey McNerthney]
Wednesday marks anniversary of deadly Seattle fire
Seattle 911 — A Police and Crime Blog, seattlepi.com, 5 January 2011. Accessed 5 January 2011.
See also
*
Occidental Hotel
The Occidental Hotel opened in 1861 in San Francisco, California. It was destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fire of 1906. It was one of the many hotels named Occidental in the United States, and it was among the few luxury h ...
References
External links
Occidental Park
Parks in Seattle
Pioneer Square, Seattle
Squares in Seattle
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