SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.- The Seattle Art Museum celebrated the ceremonial groundbreaking on the Olympic Sculpture Park, an 8.5-acre park on Seattle�s downtown waterfront. The Olympic Sculpture Park will transform downtown Seattle�s last undeveloped waterfront property from a former industrial site into a vibrant new green space for people to experience art. Located in Belltown with spectacular views of the Olympic Mountains, Elliott Bay and the city, the park will be free to the public and offer a seamless connection to the waterfront.


�This is perhaps the most exciting moment in the museum�s history since its founding 70 years ago � SAM is moving outdoors,� said Mimi Gates, SAM Director. �The park will become a jewel on Seattle�s waterfront, combining innovative environmental restoration, breathtaking vistas and incredible art.�

�The Olympic Sculpture Park is going to be one great place to visit and play," said Mayor Nickels. "As we begin to reinvent our central waterfront, this park will truly transform an industrial area into the jewel of our center city."

The Olympic Sculpture Park (OSP) is scheduled to open in mid-2006. The park will transform downtown Seattle�s largest undeveloped waterfront property and a former industrial site into vibrant new open space where people can experience a variety of art and sculpture in an outdoor setting, while enjoying dramatic views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound. Admission will be free.

�The opportunity to create green space within one of the fastest growing and highest density neighborhoods in our state is truly a success story for growth management,� said Ron Sims, King County Executive. �King County is proud to have played a role in the creation of the Olympic Sculpture Park.�

Designed by Weiss Manfredi Architects� the waterfront park integrates architecture, landscape design and urban infrastructure to unify three separate parcels of land. Central to the design is a 2,200-foot �Z� shaped route that follows the continuous landform, linking all three parcels and leading visitors from a steel and glass pavilion through a series of outdoor �galleries� in three emblematic landscapes: a forested valley, a grove with plants adaptable to the urban environment and a shore with aquatic terraces forming a regenerative underwater landscape.

"To succeed as a region, we must make our cities vibrant, with the park lands that make them great places to live,� said Gene Duvernoy, President, Cascade Land Conservancy �Today we are taking an important step in a journey that began with a polluted, vacant lot and will lead to a world-class destination drawing people to Seattle's central waterfront. The partnership and creativity making this park a reality is a model for the region for creating livable neighborhoods and thriving communities. This goes to the core of what is necessary to advance the Cascades Agenda.�

SAM�s capital campaign to create the Olympic Sculpture Park, expand the downtown museum and make improvements to the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park is currently underway. These three projects are part of a $180 million capital campaign. To date SAM has raised $132 million� a combination of private and public funds, and foundation and corporate contributions.