City Hall Park (Seattle)

City Hall Park, also known as Courthouse Park, is a 1.3-acre (0.53 ha) park in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. It sits on a block bounded by 3rd Avenue on the southwest, Dilling Way on the southeast, 4th Avenue on the northeast, and the King County Courthouse on the northwest. The park so named because when it was laid out in 1916, the King County Courthouse was the County-City Building, housing both Seattle and King County government. City offices moved out in 1962.

City Hall Park
Looking across City Hall Park to the King County Courthouse.
TypeUrban Park
LocationSeattle, Washington
Coordinates47°36′06″N 122°19′49″W
Area1.3 acres (0.53 ha)
Operated bySeattle Parks and Recreation

The park had a 70-person homeless encampment until it was removed by Seattle Parks and Recreation in August 2021 following a letter signed by 33 King County Superior Court judges was transmitted to the city government. The letter had been written in response to crimes that affected courthouse operations for employees and jurors.[1] City Hall Park was subsequently fenced off for cleaning and remained closed for over a year.[2] The King County government proposed a land swap to transfer control of the park to them in November 2021, which drew criticism from several King County Council members and advocacy groups.[3] The county council approved the transfer and explored proposals to prevent the park from becoming an encampment again, including a courtyard with permanent fencing, a hygenie station, and monitoring from the King County Sheriff's Office.[4] The transfer was cancelled in October 2022 after a Seattle City Council vote against the proposal.[2]

References
  1. Greenstone, Scott (August 12, 2021). "Encampment at Seattle's City Hall Park gone after scores go to hotels, shelters and tiny houses". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  2. Gutman, David (October 14, 2022). "Troubled City Hall Park will remain Seattle's, ending plan to transfer to county". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  3. Gutman, David (December 13, 2021). "Move to transfer City Hall Park from Seattle to King County runs into pushback". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  4. Kim, Greg (June 2, 2022). "At Seattle's City Hall Park, some push for wall, law enforcement to deter homeless campers". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
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