Volunteer Park is a 48.3 acre (195,000 m²) park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, USA.
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Volunteer Park was acquired by the city of Seattle for $2,000 in 1876 from J.M. Colman. In 1885 it was designated a cemetery, but two years later it was named "Lake View Park," and the cemetery was developed on an adjacent plot of land (see Lake View Cemetery). The park then became known as "City Park." In 1901, it was renamed "Volunteer Park" to honor the volunteers who served in the Spanish-American War. J. Willis Sayre, a Seattle theatre critic, journalist, and historian, who had fought in the war, had actively lobbied local officials to rename this park. From 1904 to 1909, the Olmsted Brothers prepared formal plans for the park.[1]
The park includes a conservatory (a designated city landmark[2]), completed in 1912; a water tower with an observation deck, built by the Water Department in 1906[3], a fenced-off reservoir; the dramatic Art deco building of the Seattle Asian Art Museum (a designated city landmark[4]); a statue of William H. Seward; and a sculpture, Black Sun, by Isamu Noguchi (colloquially referred to as "The Doughnut") around which a scenic view of the Seattle skyline that prominently includes the Space Needle can be seen, as well as several meadows and picnic tables. The wading pool is operational in the summer months and operated daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Seattle's annual Pride parade used to end at Volunteer Park, where the crowd met various musical guests, sponsoring organizations, and vendors. In 2006, the Parade was relocated to Downtown and the Pride Festival was moved to the Seattle Center, home of the Space Needle. The park also hosts various free concerts and outdoor theater events throughout the summer.