Pop-Up Seattle

Join the Olmsted Network for tour and lunch at the historic Dunn Gardens in Seattle, WA. We’ll explore the magnificent grounds together— with history and horticulture experts leading the way— before gathering for a boxed lunch and conversation. Attendees are encouraged to wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes. All are welcome to stay at the gardens until close at 4 pm PT.

Lunches:
After registering for the event, please select your preferred lunch, dessert and drink option via the link in the confirmation email.

Travel Tips:
Parking is available. The garden can also be reached by light rail— Northgate Station followed by a brief Uber ride.

A room block (Olmsted Dunn Garden Tour) is available at the Hampton Inn near the light rail stop. Reserve a room by clicking here!

The History:
This very special garden— just north of Seattle— was originally part of the country estate of Arthur and Jeannette Dunn.

While the Olmsted Brothers firm was working on public projects in Seattle, many wealthy Seattle business owners hired the well-known firm to design landscapes on their private estates. In 1914, salmon cannery owner Arthur G. Dunn and his wife Jeanette purchased ten acres of land north of Seattle, planning to create a summer home. The following year the Dunns hired the Olmsted Brothers firm to locate a cottage and develop a landscape plan to surround their future summer home.

Firm member James Dawson embraced the beauty of the place, creating a landscape that offers curving paths and incredible views of the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Native conifers and eastern hardwoods, coupled with sweeping lawns, embody the Olmsted philosophy of designing with nature. Born and raised on the East Coast, Arthur Dunn loved the East Coast hardwoods and asked that they be worked into the garden’s design and plant mix. A hundred years later, most of Arthur Dunn’s favorite hardwoods still create focal points and visual structures in the gardens.

The property includes a two-and-a-half-acre woodland garden designed by Arthur Dunn’s son. The Estate and gardens were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

Space is limited. Please register before the June 7 deadline.