There’s a new park in town—this one in Seattle’s Little Saigon neighborhood.
This week, Seattle Parks and Recreation celebrated the opening of Hoa Mai Park, a .27-acre green space located between Jackson and King Streets (1224 South King Street). The department spent more than $3.5 million to develop the new outdoor space, working with the Little Saigon Park Committee and the broader community. The new park includes a play area, a plaza overlook, and a multi-functional accessible ramp at the Jackson St. entrance. On the King Streed side you’ll find amphitheater seating and stairs with an event plaza. Throughout the new park, bold textures and bright colors reflect pan-Asian design.
Diagram of Hoa Mai Park development plan. Photo courtesy Seattle Parks and Recreation
A name that includes luck and invites serenity
The park’s name evokes rest and relaxation. Hoa Mai is a yellow flower that blooms in early spring, signifying rebirth and renewal. According to the parks department, the Vietnamese word “Hoa” means flower, and the word “Mai” (pronounced “my”) means lucky. Mai flowers are used to decorate Vietnamese homes during the celebration of the Lunar New Year.
SPR has been working with the community and the Little Saigon Park Committee comprised of local business owners and community members, Seattle Chinatown International District Public Development Authority (SCIDPDA), and Friends of Little Saigon. Key elements of the design will include a plaza overlook and multi-functional accessible ramp at the Jackson St. entrance, play area, program and event lawn at the King St. side, amphitheater seating stairs with an event plaza, pedestrian scale lighting, plantings with bold textures and bright colors to reflect pan-Asian design. Art will be integrated utilizing funding from the Office of Arts and Culture; the artist, Kalina Chung (selected in December 2019), has strong ties to the neighborhood.
The park’s art and the artist
Seattle artist Kalina Chung was commissioned to create the park’s central art installation. Titled “Through,” the artwork is a free-standing piece created through many conversations with Little Saigon and International Distract community members during the pandemic lockdown.
According to the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) release, “It serves as an entryway to the park and is inspired by Vietnamese Tube Houses—narrow multi-story homes—she encountered during her travels to Saigon and the buildings adjacent to the park.”
Enhancing park safety
The Seattle Park and Recreation’s Park Ranger program has put this park on their South Route and will visit the park during peak park use hours (between 8:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.). The South Route will be based at City Hall Park and conduct at least two patrols of Pioneer Square, Occidental, Union Station Square, Hing Hay, Donnie Chinn, Kobe Terrace, Freeway, Westlake, Little Saigon, Victor Steinbrueck, and the International District/Chinatown Community Center.
The park is open from 4 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. daily.
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