Washington Park Arboretum Woodland Meadow

Fall 2024

What's Happening Now?

In the winter of 2023, the project team completed three conceptual design alternatives and cost estimates. A preferred singular conceptual design will be progressed based on technical and public input. This conceptual design phase will help the Arboretum’s managing organizations evaluate the project’s path forward. The design of the project is currently paused, please continue to check this webpage for updates.

Concept rendering by Mithun.

Project description

This Washington Park Arboretum Masterplan Project, Woodland Meadow, reimagines the current Crabapple Meadow, the site of the former field nursery for the Arboretum. While the large lawn is used in the driest part of the summer months, poor drainage makes it unusable the rest of the year. The new Woodland Meadow will serve as a year-round gathering and celebration space within the Washington Park Arboretum.

The Arboretum team has high aspirations for augmenting programming that is inclusive for the whole community and provides an experiential gathering space. The Woodland Meadow will be designed to accommodate more active uses, with gardens and hardscape that allows for a range of events from community events, fundraisers, weddings and receptions, and concerts. It will include one or more site features dedicated to honoring the contribution to the Arboretum’s volunteers. This project is partially funded and currently only scoped through conceptual design.

There are three partnering organizations that manage the Arboretum and oversee the Arboretum’s Master Plan: City of Seattle, the University of Washington, and the Arboretum Foundation. Please see the following links for more information.

UW Botanical Garden
The Arboretum Foundation