History/Mission
Mission StatementThe Washington Park Arboretum is a living plant museum emphasizing trees and shrubs hardy in the maritime Pacific Northwest. Collections are selected and arranged to display their beauty and function in urban landscapes, to demonstrate their natural ecology and diversity, and to conserve important species and cultivated varieties for the future. The Arboretum serves the public, students at all levels, naturalists, gardeners, and nursery and landscape professionals with its collections, educational programs, interpretation, and recreational opportunities. This statement was adopted January 4, 1996, by the Arboretum and Botanical Garden Committee, established by the 1934 State Legislature, representing the University of Washington, the City of Seattle, The Arboretum Foundation, the local community and a governor's representative.
The History of the Washington Park ArboretumWashington Park Arboretum Historic Review: September 2003
The Washington Park Arboretum was established in 1934 by an agreement approved by both the University of Washington (Board of Regents) and the City of Seattle (City Council/Mayor). The City of Seattle held title to a 200+ acre park known as Washington Park located in a central portion of the city. It agreed that the University could design, construct, plant, and manage an Arboretum and Botanical Garden in this park. The Arboretum Foundation was founded in 1935 and has been an active support group ever since.
In 1936, the Seattle Garden Club donated $3000 to hire James F. Dawson and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. of the Olmsted Brothers landscape firm to design the first planting plan. Mr. Dawson was the chief designer of the plan. During those early years when the nation was in deep depression, 500 men in the Public Works Administration constructed many of the historical features; e.g., the Stone Cottage, and Azalea Way. The Dawson plan followed the typical phylogenetic progression of families from primitive to advanced, as accepted in that day.
However, the majority of the accessions to the collections occurred during the years after World War II, when the late Brian O. Mulligan was director. His modifications to the original design led to many plants being culturally better sited, and gardens, such as the Winter and Woodland Gardens, with an emphasis on design focus.
During the 1970's, disagreements arose regarding the roles and interests of the University, the City, and the Arboretum's immediate neighborhood. As a result, the University and City negotiated a more detailed working partnership, summarized in 1974 in a Letter of Clarification to the 1934 Agreement. In 1980, the University reaffirmed its managerial role by establishing the Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH) at Union Bay, at a campus site only 1.5 miles from the Arboretum. Establishment of the Center, to provide physical facilities, programs, and staff that could not be accommodated within the Arboretum grounds, was essential to fulfilling its larger mission, and was mandated by the 1978 Master Plan Update. Today, the Arboretum is managed in association with the Center for Urban Horticulture which has continued to clarify and expand the Arboretum's aims and programs.
In the late 1980's, discussion intensified about the future of the Arboretum itself, including the need for a new strategic Master Plan. A new collections policy had been enacted, the educational and interpretation programs were greatly expanded, new facilities at both the Union Bay and Arboretum sites had been constructed, and the use of the plant collections by the University and other area educational institutions had greatly increased. The age of the collections, the location within an affluent urban area and the need for diversification of public programs were key elements for future planning.
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