New Seattle waterfront park on Pier 58 will feature playground, event space, public restroom, more

Downtown Seattle’s waterfront will have a new park for tourists and locals alike.

The Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects announced Tuesday that it will begin construction on a new park at Pier 58 in late 2022, which will replace Waterfront Park, which was removed last year after structural changes caused a partial collapse . The construction time is expected to take two years.

The pier will be rebuilt in a triangular shape with roughly the same square footage, but will also have an opening in the nearshore to improve the salmon habitat. The new park will include a central event space, shady grove of trees, and raised lawn for scenic views of Elliott Bay and the Olympic Mountains. The existing fountain will also be restored and integrated into the new park.

A new marine themed playground is being built on the new pier with a four-story jellyfish tower, climbing elements and more. The waterfront boardwalk – which stretches from Pioneer Square to Pike Place Market – opposite the new pier will include a new public toilet for all genders.

Construction is hopeful as the city seeks to bring tourists back to the core of downtown after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’ve seen our downtown area revitalized with music, art, and culture over the past few weeks,” said Marshall Foster, director of the Seattle Waterfront and Civic Projects office, in a press release. “We’re excited to create a great new park that will add to our city and serve as an exciting new destination for Seattle residents to enjoy our waterfront.”

The new park at Pier 58 is being built after the pier was dismantled after a partial collapse last year. Structural displacements in the old pier were discovered last August following a waterline failure. Engineers observed a visible gap between the pier and the highlands, which resulted in a temporary closure for statics.

The city later announced that it would begin work to remove the damaged pier to expedite the redesign of the waterfront, which should begin in 2022. During the work to dismantle Pier 58, a section suddenly collapsed on September 13, sending two construction workers to Harborview Medical Center in stable condition.

“Piers and other marine structures naturally degrade over time,” said Jesús Aguirre, Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent. “We have been watching this structure for many years with the expectation that it will eventually have to be replaced.”

The collapse also affected private Pier 57, which includes tourist attractions such as Miner’s Landing, Wings Over Washington, and the Seattle Great Wheel. The neighboring pier reopened to the public in December. A converted Pier 62 reopened in June 2020 and offers more public space by the water.