About Seattle’s Othello Park

Location & Recreation
Located at 4351 S. Othello Street, just off Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, is a thoughtfully designed seven and a half acres of open space near the diverse neighborhoods of Brighton, New Holly, Hillman City, Beacon Hill, and Rainier Beach. It contains a play area for children, a unique “hill slide”, zip line, basketball courts, picnic tables, an open meadow, and walking paths.

Othello Park is located one block from the Othello Light Rail Station. It is the only station where the train stops at the heart of an existing business district and lets passengers off within a few steps of pedestrian oriented stores, restaurants, and businesses. This business district has a unique multicultural flair and has recently been enhanced with significant works of public art.

History
The City of Seattle purchased Othello Park in 1976 and Seattle’s Department of Parks and Recreation has made numerous improvements. The City continues to provide dedicated staff to oversee the ongoing maintenance and community programming, some of which resulted in the Othello Park Alliance.

In 2010 the Othello Park Alliance in conjunction with the Parks Department conducted a series of public input meetings to help plan $340,000 of safety and lighting improvements to be funded by Seattle’s Parks and Green Space Levy. Additionally, the Othello Park Alliance applied for and was granted another $100,000 from the Department of Neighborhoods to be added to a private grant of $150,000 for additional capital improvements in the park.

Developers continue to be attracted to the Othello Station area. One development is complete and has begun leasing its new six story mixed use commercial and residential development adjacent to Othello Park. More developments are slated for the near future.