Installation of art at the Lincoln Reservoir Gate House

Washington Middle School students at work on the project

The historic Lincoln Reservoir Gate House at Cal Anderson Park just got a lot more colorful. Fourteen original temporary artworks created by nine Washington Middle School students now grace the windows of the gate house and feature images inspired by the four seasons.

The project, titled Seasons All Around, is a collaboration between the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Out of School Time program at Washington Middle School, Seattle Public Utilities, and our own Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Historic Preservation Program. Students worked with teaching artist Nate Herth over 15 weeks to design and create the 14 original paintings, which reflect on the park and the vibrancy of Seattle. The classes took place at Washington Middle School and the students, representing the many races and ethnicities of Seattle, drew upon their varied prior experience with art, color, and Seattle’s neighborhoods to create this public art installation.

Our Historic Preservation program was involved in this project as the Lincoln Reservoir and adjoining Bobby Morris Playfield were designated as a Seattle Landmark in November 1998. The reservoir, built after the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, was put to use in 1901. In 2000 the reservoir was taken out of service and replaced by underground tanks, but the gate house remains. The park reopened in 2005 with four additional acres of useable open space.

This Sunday, May 22 from 11 a.m. to noon you can join the students, teaching artist Nate Herth, and City departments as we host an opening celebration of the temporary artworks.