Discovery Park has changed dramatically over the decades. What is now one of Seattle’s largest and most naturalistic urban parks was once part of Fort Lawton, a military installation with hundreds of buildings, roads, parking areas, and other infrastructure. Restoring the land has been a long-term process that still continues today.
“We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it — for a little while.” – Willa Cather
From Military Infrastructure to Urban Wilderness
When the military left Fort Lawton, much of the property had been heavily altered by decades of military use. Restoring Discovery Park meant removing buildings and pavement, replanting native vegetation, controlling invasive species, and allowing natural processes to reshape portions of the landscape.
The results can be striking. Areas that once held buildings, roads, or disturbed vegetation have gradually been transformed into forests, meadows, and other natural habitats. These changes don’t happen overnight. Restoration is an ongoing process that depends on years of stewardship, volunteer work, and careful management.
The before-and-after images below offer a glimpse of that transformation and illustrate just how much Discovery Park’s landscape has changed over time. Drag the slider left and right to compare the historic photographs with the same landscapes today and see just how dramatically the park has evolved.
Restoration Takes Time
Restoration at Discovery Park is not about recreating a single moment in the past. Instead, the goal is to develop healthy, resilient landscapes that support native plants and wildlife while providing people with opportunities to experience nature within the city.
Volunteers have played an especially important role in that work. Through ongoing planting, invasive-species removal, and habitat restoration, community members have helped return portions of the former military landscape to a more natural condition.
The transformation of Discovery Park is a reminder that landscapes are never truly finished. Trees grow, forests mature, invasive plants return, and restoration priorities change as the park’s ecosystems respond to climate and other pressures.
The work being done today will shape what Discovery Park looks like decades from now. The before-and-after photographs are more than a comparison of two landscapes; they’re a record of what sustained stewardship can accomplish over time.
Want to see more of Discovery Park’s transformation? Follow Friends of Discovery Park on Instagram for more before-and-after photos, restoration stories, and glimpses of the park’s evolving landscapes.
