Puget Sound History Comes Alive at Whale Tail Playground

By Gregory Harris, assistant editor

This cast aluminum whale tail sculpture and the Coast Guard dory ?EUR??,,????'?????<
Photo by Susan Black and Associates, the architects on this project.

 

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Whale Tail Playground is located in the northeast corner of Alki Park, just a block from Alki Beach where in 1851, the first landing party set foot in what is now West Seattle. In the early 1900s, the beach became so popular that the city installed an electric street railway line from Seattle to the beach. As the site became more popular, an amusement park similar to New York?EUR??,,????'?????<

The playground features Cetus ?EUR??,,????'?????<

The Alki Park playground had a nautical theme with its Coast Guard dory and a cast aluminum whale tail sculpture. As the playground had fallen into disrepair, a group of dedicated and tenacious neighbors took it upon themselves to improve this corner of Alki Park.

Charles Warsinske, a principal at the Seattle-based landscape architecture firm Susan Black and Associates (SB and A), said the old playground ?EUR??,,????'?????<

A new play structure at the playground reflects the Alki Point Lighthouse and includes a climbing rock outcropping embraced by dual slides.

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Warsinske credits one neighbor in particular, Linda Cuddy, as a driving force behind the refurbishing of the playground. The neighbors submitted sketches detailing the design they wanted to see for the playground, and they raised funds for the playground while the design was taking shape.

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Children have always climbed on the whale tail, and the new design has made this activity safer with the addition of a base composed of poured in place safety surfacing by SpectraTurf.

Puget Sound Inspiration

Warsinske said the plan was to design a playground that would appear as a natural feature to the surroundings.

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Despite sitting on a small 1/4-acre site, efforts were made to incorporate quiet areas into the playground design. Garden paths are used to buffer the playground from the street and adjacent neighborhood.
Photo by Susan Black and Associates

Two features from the old playground, the Coast Guard dory and a whale tail sculpture, were used in the design of the new playground. The whale tail is an early sculpture by Washington artist Rich Beyer who is most famous for his sculpture ?EUR??,,????'?????<

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Building on the nautical theme, a ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Warsinske said the cast aluminum whale tail sculpture was relocated within the playground to work in connection with the dory. When standing at boat?EUR??,,????'?????<

The whale tail was fitted with a base constructed of safety surfacing to make climbing on the tail safer for the children. The color of this base was chosen to illustrate the waves generated by the whale as it dives into the lagoon.
Photos by Susan Black and Associates

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The play structure, manufactured by Columbia Cascade, was designed to mimic a lighthouse, and is set above the lagoon.

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The existing Coast Guard boat serves as a vessel to allow children at the playground to whale watch. The boat was repositioned to allow the children to see the whale?EUR??,,????'?????<

Toddler?EUR??,,????'?????<

Warsinske said a play area for toddlers also sits on the knoll that allows parents to attend to their younger children while being able to keep watch over their older children who are playing in the lagoon. The toddler play area features a small swing set, slide and a sand pit. The toddler play area and larger ?EUR??,,????'?????<

The landscape design also includes a walkway that winds through around the playground, which connects all areas of the playground together.

The toddler play area features a small swing set, slide and a sand pit, and it sits on a knoll that allows parents to attend to their younger children while being able to keep watch over their older children who are playing in the lagoon.

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Playground supporters say, ?EUR??,,????'?????<

This mural has been placed near the playground that gives a history of Native Americans around Puget Sound. The mural continues the idea of incorporating educational features into the playground experience.

Playing and Learning

Many of the design aspects of the playground include features that allow visitors to learn about Puget Sound as well as the history of Alki Park.

A Western Red Cedar log was formed into a bench along the path that borders the play area. The mosaic medallions in the walkway are a few of the 120 donor recognition elements incorporated into the playground.

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The nautical theme of the playground extends to the seat walls with the inclusion of a glass mosaic designed by artist Benson Shaw representing sea life under Puget Sound. The mural is mortared into the curved face of the seat wall that borders the tot play area.
Photos by Susan Black and Associates

Warsinske said the new and improved Whale Tail Playground has been a very popular feature for neighbors who live near the park as well as for visitors to the Alki Beach area.

Above and Below: SQUIDOPUS by artist Benson Shaw is a fantasy sea monster rising out of the sea of wood chips in the tot play area. The steel cutouts burst through a school of small fish and bubbles. Throughcut text describes squid and octopus facts.

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The cast bronze octopus - part of Cetus ?EUR??,,????'?????<
Photo by Susan Black and Associates

Cedar benches, boulders and this grassy area provide seating between the lagoon and toddler play area. Stepping-stones were installed on the site to provide a path from the lagoon to the toddlers?EUR??,,????'?????<

The efforts of neighbors living near Whale Tail Playground were instrumental in refurbishing what had been a playground with 50-year-old play structures and a site that had attracted an unsavory crowd. The site has now become a popular location for children and the playground was recently named one of the ?EUR??,,????'?????<
Photo by Susan Black and Associates

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