The rust-red towers on this 19-acre park on Lake Union look like leftovers from a Mad Max movie, or a relic from a civilization past. Rather, they're a clever repurposing of the former Seattle Gas Light Company gasification plant, acquired by the city in the 1960s and transformed into a family-friendly destination in 1975. The boiler house is now a picnic shelter with table and grills, and the former exhauster-compressor building is now a children's play barn. The park is the most popular spot to enjoy the 4th of July celebration and fireworks.

When dealing with abandoned buildings, like the city of Seattle was when their gasification plant was rendered useless by their switch to natural gas in 1956, most would probably jump at the chance to tear everything down and start building something else from scratch-- but Seattle isn't most cities. Rather than develop the land into another plant, they saw the chance to build one of the world's coolest public parks, today known as Gas Works Park. It was definitely a great use of the space-- it's right on the shore of Lake Union and offers an unbeatable view of the Seattle city skyline. As you can imagine, the abandoned gas plant, which converted coal and crude oil into gas to power the city, wasn't the cleanest place when it was first purchased by Seattle, but it was decontaminated and fixed up to make it look spiffy. Despite the fact that the place needed a good scrub down, the city decided to leave a lot of the old structures standing, like the synthetic natural gas generator towers. They were built between the 1930's and 1940's, and it gives you a good idea of how much work went into providing power for Seattle back in the day-- and how much things have changed in the 70 years since then.Some of the structures weren't just preserved-- a few, like the pump house and boiler house, have been converted into public park buildings. The boiler house, which provided steam to power the engines and for the gasification process, is now a picnic shelter and the pump house, where air was compressed for the oxygen extraction process and where finished gas was pumped into storage or out to customers, is now a play barn. In the play barn, much of the original equipment is still in place and incorporated into the playground equipment.The city also built a kite-flying hill into the park; on top of the hill is a sculpted sundial designed by local artists. The hill makes a great place for events and celebrations, like fireworks and concerts and rallies and protests. But even when there's nothing major going on at the park, it's still a perfect was to spend a Pacfic Northwest afternoon-- whether you want to explore the old plant or sun yourself on the hill with a picnic lunch and contemplate the fact that something once considered a toxic eyesore is now one of the city's most beloved parks, it's worth a visit. -RoadtrippersGas Works Park in Seattle, Washington is a 19.1 acres public park on the site of the former Seattle Gas Light Company gasification plant, located on the north shore of Lake Union at the south end of the Wallingford neighborhood. The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places January 2, 2013, more than a decade after being nominated. Gas Works park contains remnants of the sole remaining coal gasification plant in the US. The plant operated from 1906 to 1956, and was bought by the City of Seattle for park purposes in 1962.The park opened to the public in 1975. The park was designed by Seattle landscape architect Richard Haag, who won the American Society of Landscape Architects Presidents Award of Design Excellence for the project. It was originally named Myrtle Edwards Park, after the city councilwoman who had spearheaded the drive to acquire the site and who died in a car crash in 1969. In 1972, the Edwards family requested that her name be taken off the park because the design called for the retention of much of the plant. In 1976, Elliott Bay Park was renamed Myrtle Edwards Park.

On the north end of Lake Union, you'll find what may be the most unique park in the area. The 21-acre industrial area, formerly the site of a gas plant, was transformed in 1975 into a recreational complex. You'll find that there's plenty to do in the park, including kayaking, sailing, picnicking and bicycling. From atop the park's 60-foot hill, visitors enjoy one of Seattle's best views. The park is a favorite place to view the city's Fourth of July fireworks display, and other festive gatherings happen throughout the year.

Gas Works Park rises above the north shore of Lake Union, a vaulted rampart of rusted towers and pipelines that serve as a testament to a bygone industrial age. Once a productive gasification plant, which converted superheated coal and crude oil into synthetic gas, the curious structure has been preserved since the plant’s closure in 1956 and opened to the public as a park in 1975. The plant primarily provided the city with gas for energy during its half-century of operation. It was officially acquired by the City of Seattle in 1962. Landscape architect Richard Haag piloted the development of the project, and eventually went on to win an American Society of Landscape Architects Presidents Award for his design. Haag and his team were responsible for retaining most of the plant’s original structure, as well as introducing oil-degrading enzymes into the surrounding area to stimulate the breakdown of toxic contaminants in the soil. In an interview, Haag stated that out of the 15,000 gas plants built across America, the gasification equipment at Gas Works Park are the last of their kind. Nowadays, Gas Works Park has been expanded into seven sections open to the public, although much of the works remains fenced off due to safety concerns. The park hosts everything from free concerts to athletic competitions to kite-flying and live action roleplaying tournaments. It remains one of the most popular free spaces in Seattle, and stands as a uniquely captivating draw to both locals and tourists alike.

Gas Works Park is located on the site of the former Seattle Gas Light Company gasification plant; because a significant amount of the original equipment was retained on site, the park now contains remnants of the sole remaining coal gasification plant in the United States. Some of this equipment today forms usable space at the Park, such as a former exhauster-compressor building that now serves as a children's play barn and a boiler house that has been converted into a picnic shelter with picnic tables and grills. The wide-open grassy spaces of Gas Works Park make it an ideal location for Frisbee, bocce ball, yoga and kite flying. The large hill in the middle of the park is a great spot for flying kites, and you are likely to see a crowd of kite flyers on a sunny and windy day. Access to Lake Union from the park is restricted, meaning no swimming, fishing or launching boats, as the lake sediment contains hazardous substances. Gas Works Park opened to the public in 1975, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in January 2013. The park is open from the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Gas Works Park should be one of the places to stop and explore if you go to Seattle. It offers an amazing view of the city, which looks just as good at night as it does during the day so whenever you choose to go will be perfect. Gasworks Park was the site for the manufacturing of gas from coal back in the early to mid 1900s. But later in 1975, the city opened the park to the public. Check out the graffiti on the machinery, visit the sundial on the top of the hill, or sit down and look out across the Lake Union. It’s also a great spot for photography so bring your camera as well! *the picture shows the view from Gas Works Park. By N.R.