Ballard Corners Park weighs ‘corner store’ options

Geeky Swedes Ballard

Ballard Corners Park on 17th Ave. and 62nd St. is coming together!

Silver sent us this photo of the “living room furniture” which is nearly complete. It might look soft and cushy, but the chair and sofa are made of cement. With most of the park complete, organizers are now weighing options for the “corner store” which would tie the past with the present — an entryway that would honor the site where a corner store stood decades ago.

Because of funding issues, the steering committee must go back to the drawing board and revise their original plans for the corner store. David Folweiler, co-chair of the project, has asked neighbors and volunteers for feedback on design ideas by this Wednesday. You can see photos of the corner store concepts on the Ballard Corners Park blog right here.

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The founders of My Ballard

16 thoughts to “Ballard Corners Park weighs ‘corner store’ options”

  2. It's hard to say what would be best, I wish I could see the plans or design of the “store” idea fully implemented… but I guess my vote would probably be for more open space. I mean that's what draws us to parks in the first place. But I am not going to poo-poo their ideas without fully understanding the vision. I really like the cement living room thing.

    So either:

    Choice D. or E.

  3. I like option E. Folks are putting a lot of thought and time into this park, I can't wait for it to be completed. I think that the over-stuffed furniture is a hoot!
    oh, btw, the park address is in the story…

  4. I vote for more open space. I lived in Langley (Whidbey Is.) and we had a small corner park that had a covered area with a concrete floor with inlaid funky “things” like marbles, coins, buttons, glass art, bottle tops, etc. Fun to look at. The rest of the grassy area was a labyrinth path. People of all ages enjoyed it. Kids had fun running along its path. Others used it as meditation. It takes some maintenance to mow it and keep the pattern but what a great use of a small green space. Under the covered area there were a couple of bistro tables with inlaid chess/checcker boards and game pieces.

  5. I must admit, I'm not a huge fan of the “corner store” concept (though I bought a donor tile, which helps them pay for it, so perhaps I'm a bit confused), but I'm extremely impressed with how the living room area looks, so maybe they can pull off something that will be just as neat.

    I do worry that the couch and chair will be graffiti magnets. Hopefully they can be painted over on a regular basis without wrecking the look of them.

  7. that living room looks like the concrete furniture in Froula (sp?) park next to the resevoir on 12th ave NE. I used to live nearby and thought it worked really well.

    is it the same artist who constructed that one?

    btw, I'm all for the 'corner store' concept. It looks kind of fun, and it's all to rare that landscape elements speak of the place's history.

  12. How about a chia dog sleeping near a faux fireplace? And the fence for the park could be a curtain made of strings of beads that resembles generic body art. Let's not forget a concrete keg-erator!

    The best part of all is that people actually gave 365K for a park with a concrete couch that looks like it came from Toontown at Disneyland. 'Either that, or the designers were watching too much “All in the Family”.

    One thing I am convinced of. The people who live around me will never run of lame or stupid. What's next? A man and a boy peeing on each other?

    Oh wait, we already have that at Alaskan Way and Broad.

  13. wow, mike. you sound bitter.
    don't you like art?

    or rather, what is your idea of art?

    those concrete couches and chairs put the fun back in functional.

  15. I'm very much looking forward to enjoying this park. Unique and fun furnishings relieve the uniformity of lawns, and give kids something to spin their imaginations around. As soon as it's open, we'll be there with my boyfriend's two young boys!

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