SEATTLE, Wash. — What was once an empty field is now a beautifully landscaped garden outside of Fire Station 41 in Seattle.
It’s all thanks to a local garden club and landscape company.
On Thursday, the fire station held a dedication ceremony to thank the Carleton Park Garden Club and Rainbow of Mangolia Landscaping group.
Seattle Firefighter Mark Hauge says the department connected with a local garden club member last year during a National Night Out event.
The garden club then approached a local landscaping company and the project came to fruition.
“Fire Station 41 is beyond grateful for the funding, labor, and time they’ve put into providing a complete makeover of our garden and creating a beautiful location for the neighborhood. We can’t thank them enough for their efforts,” Hauge said.
The City of Seattle Neighborhood Matching Fund awarded the project a $5,000 grant, and the National Garden Club’s Plant America project awarded a $2,000 grant. In total, the project cost $7,000 with a donated $10,000 of labor.
The vision was created in August of 2023 and the group began building the garden in January.
The vision came to life a few months later in the spring.
The garden includes a public artwork display by Kenny Schneider called “Hot Cha Cha”. It’s an interactive kinetic sculpture enveloped within a case that includes 66 identical stainless-steel firefighters, each with movable arms and legs. All of the figures dance and march when a passerby turns a handle on the side of the case.
If you want to check out the garden, it’s located at 2416 34th Ave. W. in Seattle.