McGilvra Place

McGilvra Place is a small, tree-shaded triangle of land located at the intersection of E. Madison St., E. Pike St. and 15th Ave. in Seattle, Washington. Created in 1901, this pocket park is named after John J. McGilvra, a prominent early Seattle settler whose homesite was on Lake Washington at the end of what became E Madison Street.

The park underwent renovation in 2013 as part of a public-private collaboration between the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Parks Foundation, and the Bullitt Foundation. During this redevelopment, great care was taken to protect and celebrate eleven century-old London Plane trees on the site.

Improvements to McGilvra Place included transforming an adjacent street into a public plaza, replacing turf with native vegetation, installing park furniture made of reclaimed timber, and providing improved accessibility. The park now serves as a neighborhood gathering space, as recommended by local community plans.

McGilvra Place is notable for being the first project to pursue the Living Building Challenge for the Infrastructure + Landscape Typology, emphasizing sustainable and environmentally friendly features in its design and maintenance.