Seattle’s Denny Park Mural

When David Thomas Denny met Louisa Boren Denny, they were both part of a pioneering group from Illinois headed for Washington State via the Oregon Trail.  They traveled by covered-wagon, boat, and eventually on foot, often across treacherous terrain and hostile territory. Romance bloomed, and when they tied the knot, Louisa became the first white woman to be married on Puget Sound. Theirs was not only Seattle’s first wedding as a newly founded city, but also Seattle’s first non-Indian wedding.

They did okay for themselves. Their 1853 land claim covered 640 acres which today stretches from present-day Seattle Center to South Lake Union.

As Seattle grew, they developed some of their land into residential neighborhoods, and continued to invest heavily in real estate. In 1882, David established Seattle’s largest sawmill at the time. He founded the first streetcar service from downtown Seattle to the University District, and donated land for Seattle’s first cemetery; by the early 1880s, David and Louisa, now with eight children, were one of Seattle’s wealthiest families with a fortune estimated at $3 million.

Twenty-two years after David had donated six acres of land for Seattle’s first cemetery, the Dennys rededicated most of the cemetery property to become a public park. The graves were removed at the city’s expense, and on July 10, 1884, Ordinance 571 officially converted the land into Seattle’s first public park know today as Denny Dog Park. It remains Seattle’s oldest park, and if you go to 100 Dexter Avenue North in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood, you’ll see the Denny Dog Park Mural.

The “multi-hued constellation of friendly canines” mural was created as a collaboration between visual artist and musician originally from New York City, Cern, Art is Fun, and the Seattle Parks Department, and was completed in April 2024.  What had been a nondescript wall is now a lively visual centerpiece for one of the most popular dog parks in the city – and if you look carefully, you’ll recognize a few different dog breeds (though the giant smiling Pomeranian is hard to miss).

Why do we care about public art featuring dogs?  Most will say that dog-themed public art can be a focal point for a community, a meeting places that fosters interaction between neighbors and those visiting. And when the dogs portrayed are assorted breeds, it can encourage inquisitiveness and learning. A study on public spaces found that dogs can make public spaces feel more welcoming by creating a sense of familiarity and comfort. 

Just guessing here, and from the aforementioned perspective, we bet our readers have the most comfortable homes on the planet.

 

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