Charlestown Hillclimb
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Summary

The Charlestown Hillclimb is located on the Charlestown Street right-of-way between Courtland Place and 37th Avenue S, in Seattle, Washington.

The Hillclimb project began in 2001, when the Courtland Action Team (CAT) applied for a grant from the Seattle Arts Commission ArtsUp program. CAT interviewed artists to work with the community under the program and selected artist Don Fels to work on the project. After a summer spent in formal and informal meetings and discussions, CAT and Fels saw the Hillclimb as the ideal location for community-building and art about the community. Read a summary of the project history (compiled July 2009).

Don Fels worked with the Courtland Action Team and Richard Haag, architect and designer of GasWorks Park, to develop a design that would have four major components:
• a safe, aesthetically pleasing pedestrian passage composed of a path with eight staggered, concrete stairway segments;
• playful artwork related to and divulging the history of the neighborhood;
• landscaping with drought-tolerant plantings and a small community orchard.
• an open gazebo-like structure allowing for a covered meeting space

The Charlestown street right-of-way is currently (and historically) overgrown with a dense thicket of blackberries and weeds. The improved Hillclimb would provide safe, convenient pedestrian access to shops in the Rainier Valley Square in one direction, and provide access to Lake Washington in the other direction.

We are currently gathering neighbors and community members to get involved in discussing the options for an improved hillclimb, which include:
(1) Creating a new landscape design for the top of the hillclimb that would be maintained by neighbors
(2) Revisiting the plan created by Don Fels, preparing a multi-phase fundraising and construction strategy
(3) A combination of these

Next Neighborhood Meeting:
Monday, August 17, 2009 - 7:30pm
Mount Baker Community Club (2811 Mt Baker Dr)
Please attend and invite your neighbors!

For more information, contact moc.liamtoh|gcamlih#moc.liamtoh|gcamlih


Contacts

moc.liamg|epahsylruc#dnaloN recnepS - Neighbor/Community Outreach
Scott Fraser - Neighbor/Fundraising Consultant
moc.liamtoh|gcamlih#rogerGcaM yralliH - Neighbor
Marnie Valenta - Neighbor
gro.elttaesdees|sirrona#sirroN yebbA - SEED Public Art Manager
ude.notgnihsaw.u|slef#sleF noD - Artist
Liffy Franklin

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