A New Vision for Freeway Park - City of Seattle

Vision
From a functional perspective, Pigott Corridor is one of the park’s most heavily
used paths, providing critical access to downtown from Horizon House,Virginia
Mason and the First Hill neighborhood. In addition, the Pigott Corridor offers
some of the most beautiful views in Freeway Park, particularly in the fall when
the beautifully mature trees along the corridor give passers-by the feeling of
walking down into a forest.
For the last 20 years, the Corridor has experienced a great deal of use, the
trees have grown and the physical structure of the stair has matured. During
these years a lot has also been learned about how the area actually functions.
People from Horizon House depend on the corridor to get to downtown,
especially the ramped areas. Children from the Green Tree Daycare Center use
the fountains for sailing boats during their park walks. Joggers use the park as
does the Virginia Mason Hospital for its annual fundraiser. In fact, last year’s
event was spectacular - the Corridor, parts of the park and the Convention
Center plaza were turned into a fairyland.This experience could provide several
good ideas for future enhancements especially in terms of events and theatrical
lighting.
The vision is that although the corridor is good, it could be made even better!
In the short and medium term, with some modifications to the existing structure,
the Pigott Corridor could be transformed into not only a magical “canopy
walk” experience but also a connector and asset to adjoining developments. In
the long term, some of the dead space between the corridor and the adjacent
buildings that is so difficult to control should be eliminated.This could mean
widening the steps or extending the buildings.The Harbor Steps were cited as
examples by workshop attendants of a positive model for stairs.
Issues
The Pigott Corridor was added to Freeway Park in 1984, as mitigation for the
construction of Horizon House. It was partially financed by the Pigott Family.
Since that time, the trees along the corridor have grown to extraordinary
heights and beauty, changing the once open feeling to one that in some areas
feels closed in and isolated. In some areas the lower level trees block the view
up and down the steps, and the concrete walls of the stair structure in some
areas blocks visibility. From the walkway, it is difficult to see adjacent buildings’
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