The public has long expressed a desire for more places to touch the water and more natural green space along the Elliott Bay waterfront. Myrtle Edwards and Centennial Parks together comprise 16 acres of waterfront public space with exceptional views of the Olympic Mountains, Mount Rainier and the Salish Sea. During EBC community engagement, participants’ requests for improvements in these parks included restrooms, food and beverage concession, and other updated amenities.  

“Seattle’s waterfront is one of our city’s greatest public treasures, and these improvements to Myrtle Edwards and Centennial Parks create more opportunities for people to connect with nature, gather with community, and experience Elliott Bay in new ways,” said Joy Hollingsworth, Seattle City Council President. “The public asked for more access to the water, more green space, and amenities that make these parks welcoming and accessible for everyone — and the Elliott Bay Connections project delivers on that vision. From expanded beach coves and improved trails to the new children’s exploration area, restrooms, and café, these parks will serve residents and visitors alike for generations to come.” 

With the re-opening of Myrtle Edwards and Centennial Parks, parkgoers will enjoy: 

• Dramatic expansion of Myrtle Edwards Park beach coves 

• New amenities building in Centennial Park with restrooms and Café Hagen, concessionaire 

• A new children’s exploration area  

• Improved pedestrian paths with shoulder path for runners 

• Improved bike trail with lighting, bike racks and repair stations 

• Comprehensive new system of wayfinding and interpretive signage 

• All new places to sit, including picnic tables and benches 

• Accessibility features and accessible paths to areas throughout the parks, including beaches, rose garden, children’s exploration area and more 

“As a global travel company based in Seattle, we’re proud to support the city and waterfront we call home,” said Ariane Gorin, CEO of Expedia Group. “Our headquarters sits on Elliott Bay, so we see every day how special this waterfront is to our local community and visitors. As Seattle prepares to welcome the world for the World Cup, investments like this help ensure the waterfront remains vibrant, accessible, and enjoyable for everyone who comes to experience the city.” 

Close to 74,000 new shrubs and plants, mostly native species, have been planted throughout the parks creating beautiful natural landscapes as they grow. New native trees are providing shade. Freshly planted meadows offer habitat for bees, and other pollinators and re-seeded lawn areas will provide places for parkgoers to relax and enjoy sunsets. 

“The Elliott Bay Connections project is a key component of the generational transformation of our Waterfront. I want to thank the donors for their partnership and generous support. Crucially, the parks' restoration is not just an upgrade but rather a comprehensive effort to include Native community input, especially artistic elements, and native plants alongside our beloved evergreens. This world-class park project has made Myrtle Edwards and Centennial Parks vital green space, not just for the Waterfront and neighboring communities, but for the whole of the city,” said Councilmember Bob Kettle, District 7. 

 The EBC project worked in partnership with the Tribes to honor and foreground Indigenous culture.  

"The Suquamish Tribe is happy to take part in celebrating the re-opening of Myrtle Edwards and Centennial Parks and appreciate being part of the design process. Our tribe's Culture Committee suggested the name haʔłali for the new park building which means 'the good place' in Lushootseed, the mother language of Suquamish," said Suquamish Chairman Leonard Forsman. "This transformation of the waterfront has indeed made it a good place for reflection, recreation, and learning more about our ancestral waters." 

• First Nation architect Alfred Waugh (Chipewyan), principal of the British Columbia-based firm Formline Architecture + Urbanism designed the new amenities building in Centennial Park 

• haʔłali is the name for the new amenities building. This Lushootseed word translates as “the good place” and was selected by the Suquamish Tribe Culture Committee. 

• The Coast Salish lunar calendar includes 13 Moons, which signal changes in weather, animal migrations, and food. These moons and their stories are depicted on carved boulders throughout the parks, each surrounded by plantings which represent the season of the individual moon. Valerie Segrest (Muckleshoot) selected the plantings and initiated this 13 Moon story walk. The text was developed by Segrest in collaboration with the Muckleshoot Language Committee. The art illustrating each moon was designed by Anabel Baker (Samish).  

“The Seattle waterfront shoreline has hosted a string of villages ancestral to the Muckleshoot people and served as a vital piece of our traditional homeland for thousands of years and hundreds of generations prior to the treaties of Medicine Creek and Point Elliott,” said Donny Stevenson, Chairman of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. “We are so pleased to see how the Elliott Bay Connections project honored our presence here and tie to the lands with plantings of our traditional medicines, and the teaching of the 13 Moons, acknowledging our strong oral tradition. EBC, the Port of Seattle and the City of Seattle working with us in true partnership on this important waterfront parks project honors our important ties to this place since time immemorial." 

With today’s parks reopening, and the opening of Waterfront Park in 2025, Seattle now enjoys 50 acres of extraordinary parks and public spaces as public space accessible to all along three and half miles along the Elliott Bay waterfront in the heart of the city. 

“Friends of Waterfront Park has long championed a waterfront that brings people and communities together — a place rooted in connection, access, joy, and belonging. Elliott Bay Connections helps strengthen that vision by creating more opportunities for people to gather, experience these revitalized public spaces, and enjoy the natural beauty of Seattle’s shoreline together, further cementing the waterfront as one of Seattle’s great public gathering places,” said Joy Shigaki, President and CEO of Friends of Waterfront Park (Friends).  

“With the completion of the Elliott Bay Connections project, downtown Seattle now has a connected waterfront experience unlike anything we’ve had in our city’s history. These improvements will dramatically change how Seattleites use the downtown waterfront. The generous investments of private donors and the work of some terrific Seattle firms have transformed these spaces into areas to linger, recreate and enjoy, taking some of our amazing natural assets to another level with an impact that will be felt for generations to come,” said Downtown Seattle Association President & CEO Jon Scholes.  

The newly connected Elliott Bay waterfront includes landmarks such as Waterfront Park, the Seattle Aquarium, Pike Place Market, the Olympic Sculpture Park and the Beach at Expedia Group.  

• Waterfront Park is a 20-acre vibrant public park with lush gardens, open spaces, public artworks, and elevated views of Elliott Bay. Serving as Seattle’s front porch and a welcoming gateway for residents, visitors, and families, the park has been rebuilt and transformed by the City of Seattle’s Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects into a gracious space for gathering, recreation and play, cultural activities, and community programming.   

• The Seattle Aquarium is a marine conservation organization working to regenerate the health of Earth’s one ocean and is the region’s premier resource for hands-on marine experiences and conservation education.  

• Pike Place Market, located in the heart of downtown near the waterfront, is one of the oldest continuously operating public markets in the country.  

• The new greenway from Waterfront Park to the Olympic Sculpture Park, totals more than two and a half acres. 

• The Olympic Sculpture Park brings large-scale art to Seattle’s waterfront. Spanning meadow, forest, and shoreline, the park offers a free, open-air experience shaped by light, weather, and season, revealing fresh perspectives with each visit.  

• Myrtle Edwards and Centennial Parks together offer 16 acres of native plantings, pollinator meadows and newly seeded lawns; newly accessible beach coves and paths 

• Situated just south of Smith Cove and adjacent to Centennial Park, The Beach at Expedia Group is a contemporary public landscape of more than two and a half acres, featuring native plantings, driftwood and seating. Expedia Group donated the waterfront land to the city of Seattle, with the intention to create public access to the beach, while also connecting to the city’s downtown. Visitors can also take in an iconic view of Mount Rainier from the beach.  

The Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) will continue to serve as the implementation partner for the EBC project following the re-opening of these parks and public spaces. DSA has a track record of partnership and stewardship of vital parks and public spaces in the heart of Seattle. Uplift Northwest will provide daily cleaning and custodial care. Consistent with commitments made at the announcement of EBC in 2023, private philanthropy is underwriting the initial costs of caring for the plantings, maintaining these public spaces and ensuring that the new landscapes are established. The DSA will collaborate closely with the City of Seattle and the Port of Seattle during this period of establishment to ensure that these parks are well cared for, well maintained and safe for all visitors.  

For more information about the EBC project, plantings and improvements in the parks and photographs go to the EBC website: www.elliottbayconnections.org  

Elliott Bay Connections Media Library 

Park websites: 

Myrtle Edwards Park | Parks  

Centennial Park | Port of Seattle  

What people are saying: 

Zak Andersen, Chief of Staff and VP Communications, BNSF Railway 

“BNSF is proud to have been a partner to help deliver this wonderful project to the Seattle community. BNSF has a long history in Seattle, and we are honored to have been able to participate in its execution.”  

Rebecca Bear, President and CEO, Seattle Parks Foundation “Seattle is known as the Emerald City because we have such beautiful parks with great views and stunning landscapes. The newly reopened Myrtle Edwards and Centennial parks elevate this experience and will be an asset to our city for decades to come. Seattle Parks Foundation is grateful to the donors, and the public agencies who worked to get this spectacular project done in record time.”  

Maria Beck, Owner, Café Hagen