Site 7: Land Use

Judging from the buildings on the premises, what do you think was once here? What do you think the land was used for? As it turns out, this was established as a military base in 1896 to be artillery battery meant to defend Seattle and the south Puget Sound in case of a naval attack. Starting in 1902, it was repurposed for infantry use, with the construction of several new buildings to accommodate the soldiers. In 1938, the army offered to sell the land to the City of Seattle for a dollar an acre, but the city turned down the offer citing maintenance concerns. As World War II began, over 20,000 soldiers were stationed here, with 6,000 German and Italian prisoners there at any given time, typically en route to Hawaii for a more permanent imprisonment. Can you imagine that many people here? That is so many people! After the war, in the late 1950’s, the base was repurposed yet again into an anti-aircraft base, complete with state-of-the-art radar and anti-aircraft missiles. This was never necessary though, as no attack ever came. Finally, the army donated most of the land to the City of Seattle as Discovery Park in 1973. It was not until 2011 though, that the most of the remaining land was donated and the fort was closed. As you can see, some relics still remain. There a few buildings that weren’t demolished so they could house government employees. In fact, there is still an old radar station that the FAA still uses and is active. You can probably pick it out; it looks like a giant soccer ball!

The Fort in 1936, mostly for infantry use

The Fort in the 1950's, complete with radar and anti-air missiles

Discovery Park in 2009

Photo Credit: First two photos are from http://pauldorpat.com/seattle-now-and-then/seattle-now-then-fort-lawton-barracks/
Last photo is from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aerial_view_of_Discovery_Park_and_Fort_Lawton_in_Seattle.jpg