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(Seattle) HistoryLink.org Essay 3168 : Printer-Friendly Format
Dr. Jose Rizal Park is perched on the northwest crest of
Seattle's Beacon Hill, where it enjoys sweeping views of
downtown Seattle, Puget Sound, the Olympics, and the Cascades.
The park is located on a portion of property on the north slope
of Beacon Hill that the City of Seattle acquired in 1917 to
build retaining walls, terracing, and drains where the regrading
of Dearborn and Jackson streets left the hillside unstable. The
park site itself remained undeveloped until 1971, when the Parks
Department built a parking area and viewpoint along 12th Avenue
S. The park was named for Dr. Rizal, at the request of the
Filipino Alumni Association, in 1974 and formally dedicated in
1979. The name honors the Filipino intellectual and nationalist
who was executed by Spanish authorities in 1896 because of his
advocacy for Phillipine independence from Spain, and also
recognizes the Filipinos who mig