East Queen Anne Playground

Click to skip down to:

HOURS

4 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.

ABOUT THE PARK

This nice neighborhood park offers a playground with slides, climbing features, a whirl, regular and baby swings, and a wading pool. Conveniently there are also bathroom facilities, a soccer field, and a sandbox. There are also lots of comfortable benches for parents to keep an eye on the kids from.

HISTORY

In 1910 this small block of property was purchased from John and Ida Watrons: its size and location gave rise to the neighborhood name "Little Howe"…especially since the Parks Department did not identify the playground by name on the site.

"Little Howe" was improved immediately: because of topography it was graded into tow levels with tow tennis courts (with typical clay surface) and basketball and playcourt on the upper level, and a frame comfort station, round wading pool flanked with sets of swings, rings and slides on the lower level: with landscaping on the perimeter and center slope.

By 1928 the pressure for "playground" (ball) was such that the unsatisfactory clay surface for tennis courts was not replaced with asphalt or the newer concrete: instead a "scrub" ballfield was graded at the southwest corner for the little children - the big kids now had the new "Howe Field" (W. Queen Anne Playfield).

By 1951 the old comfort station was considered "a hazard to public health and safety" and approved for construction of a new shelter house on the upper level was secured from the post-war National Production (Control) Authority. And the old wading pool - and equipment - was patched and repaired one more time. Hence it became a project for the Forward Thrust program in 1970, when the shelter house was remodeled and the playground redeveloped with pool and play equipment on the upper level.

(Edited from the files of Don Sherwood, 1916-1981, Park Historian.)

DIRECTIONS

BY BUS

> Plan a trip to E Queen Anne Playfield

BY CAR

• Take the SENECA ST. exit- exit number 165- on the left.
• Merge onto SENECA ST.
• Turn RIGHT onto 4TH AVE.
• Turn SLIGHT LEFT onto DENNY WAY.
• Turn RIGHT onto 1ST AVE N.
• Turn LEFT onto ROY ST.
• Turn RIGHT onto QUEEN ANNE AVE N.
• Turn RIGHT onto HOWE ST.
• Turn RIGHT onto 1ST AVE N.
• Turn LEFT onto HOWE ST.
• Turn LEFT onto WARREN AVE N. 0.01 miles
  

• Take the exit- exit number 169- towards N. E. 50TH ST./N. E. 45TH ST
• Keep RIGHT at the fork in the ramp.
• Stay straight to go onto 5TH AVE NE.
• Turn RIGHT onto NE 50TH ST.
• Turn SLIGHT LEFT onto GREEN LAKE WAY N.
• Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto N 46TH ST.
• Turn SLIGHT LEFT onto N PHINNEY WAY.
• Turn SLIGHT LEFT onto N PHINNEY WAY.
• Turn RIGHT onto AURORA AVE N/WA-99.
• Turn RIGHT onto QUEEN ANNE DR.
• Turn LEFT onto 1ST AVE N.
• Turn RIGHT onto SMITH ST.
• Turn LEFT onto QUEEN ANNE AVE N.
• Turn LEFT onto HOWE ST.
• Turn RIGHT onto 1ST AVE N.
• Turn LEFT onto HOWE ST.
• Turn LEFT onto WARREN AVE N. 0.01 miles