Tucked away in a very unlikely place is one of Seattle’s newest and most visually impressive parks. Thomas C. Wales Park has been open less than a week at 2401 6th Ave North just off Dexter Avenue. So few people know about it that we were the only ones there on a sunny day during the lunch hour.
The area, which was formerly called Dexter Pit Park, has undergone a transformation that features some striking artistic elements. An artist named Adam Kuby created the park’s “Quarry Rings,” five raised gabion rings that offer bird and bat nesting. The stone and gravel used on the rings pay tribute to the site’s history when it was a gravel pit in the early 1900’s.
The park was re-named Thomas C. Wales Park in honor of the late Assistant U.S. Attorney who was murdered in his Queen Anne home in 2001. An official celebration to mark the park’s opening will take place next spring.