You could say half of Seattle Center's history is still going strong. Half of the amusement park, the Fun Forest, continues to operate, but the other half is gone, replaced with what s called Center Square.
Right now it s mostly asphalt, painted with a maze and a labyrinth. There s a basketball court, a big silver tent that looks like a saddle and a little interactive garden for kids. The garden is part of the Children s Museum, and it will eventually be replaced with whatever ends up being permanent at Center Square.
The reason why we chose container gardening is that we can pick up and move and do what we need to do, said Donna Marie Bertrand, executive director of the Children s Museum.
What Center Square will eventually become depends on money.
There could be sponsorship, there could be philanthropic gifts, there could be a levy. There's lots of opportunities for us to put together funding packages, said John Merner, director of Seattle Center productions.
As for the remaining rides, they ll eventually be gone. At one point, the Space Needle owners wanted a museum for glass artist Dale Chihuly. But when those plans were announced, there was public push back and calls for something that appealed to more than lovers of fine art.
And so we thought, you know, let s do that, said Merner. Let's back up, let's have a larger conversation. Let's invite the entire public and entire communities to submit proposals and so we're in that process now.
The proposals are due on June 4.
