Peace Park (Seattle)

Peace Park is a park located in the University District of Seattle, Washington, at the corner of Northeast 40th Street and 9th Avenue Northeast, at the northern end of the University Bridge. Its construction was conceived and led by Floyd Schmoe, winner of the 1988 Hiroshima Peace Prize, and dedicated on August 6, 1990, 45 years after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

The park was home to a full-size bronze statue of Sadako Sasaki, sculpted by Daryl Smith, which was cut off at the ankles and stolen in July of 2024. Schoolchildren and other community members from around the city of Seattle frequently draped strings of peace cranes on the statue following the Japanese custom of the one thousand origami cranes.

History


Seattle's Peace Park was dedicated on August 6, 1990, at the north end of University Bridge. The hillside site, which had been an unused area that was regularly crowded with garbage, was cleared and landscaped by volunteers under the leadership of peace activist Floyd Schmoe, the winner of the 1988 Hiroshima Peace Prize. Schmoe had been a University of Washington student during the incarceration of Japanese Americans and assisted fellow students affected by Executive Order 9066. He lobbied the city government to establish a peace park after receiving the 1988 Kiyoshi Tanimoto Peace Award from the Hiroshima Peace Center and used the $4,000 monetary award towards the project.

The centerpiece of the park is Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, a bronze statue of Sadako Sasaki designed by sculptor Daryl Smith. Sasaki was a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima at the age of two but later died of leukemia a decade later. During her hospitalization, she aimed to fold one thousand origami cranes, which continue to be placed on her statues in Seattle and Hiroshima. , the statue is the only outdoor monument in Seattle's municipal art collection that honors a female historical figure.

The efforts to fill the space under the statue with peace cranes come from Sadako's own attempt to fold 1000 cranes. Although she died after making 644 cranes, her story inspired those around her to continue the work she began. The origami crane which is translated to orizuru in Japanese, carries a major cultural significance. It is believed that making 1000 cranes fulfills a person's goals and dreams, and was later deemed a peace effort in honor of Sadako.

Vandalism and upgrades
In December 2003, the statue was vandalized leaving damage to the ankle and a cut off right arm of the statue. After the statue was vandalized, a number of people, including Sadako's family, requested the statue be relocated to the more heavily trafficked Green Lake Park. Ultimately the Seattle Parks Department decided the statue should remain in the Peace Park, where it was re-installed in mid-January 2005. The statue was later restored after the community donated towards its repair and held a celebration continuing to honor Sasaki's legacy.

In 2008, Peace Park was renovated by Seattle Parks and Recreation. This included new additions such as sidewalks, stairs, and pathways that connected other public parks and trails, such as the Cheshiahud Lake Union Loop. The statue was vandalized again in September 2012 but was later repaired.

On July 12, 2024, the statue was reported stolen by the Seattle Police Department. The majority of the statue was removed, except for the feet. A local historian speculated that the 2024 incident was not politically-motivated vandalism, but theft for monetary reasons.