Mill Creek Earthworks Park
742 East Titus
Kent, WA, 98032
Kent, WA, 98032
This 107-acre park of twisted earth and modest trails features an amphitheater, an inviting greenbelt, picnic areas, public art, ample parking, and restroom facilities.
As a Bauhaus master, Herbert Bayer’s entire career was dedicated to integrating artistic concerns into the everyday operations of society. With the Earthworks, he created a much loved public park, a stormwater detention dam and a modernist masterpiece. Installed in 1982, the Earthworks was immediately lauded for its fusion of art and infrastructure, making the installation a powerful precedent for engineers, landscape architects and artists.
A series of sculpted spaces that feel both ancient and modern, the Earthworks’ pure forms—cones, circles, lines and berms—are built into the alluvial delta at the mouth of Mill Creek Canyon. Grass and concrete, a wood bridge and steps: these are the materials at work, joined by the natural forces of Mill Creek itself.
landmark designation and restoration
Today, the same issues that necessitated building the Earthworks 25 years ago have intensified dramatically. The regulations for the dam's spillway have increased from a 100-year storm event to a 10,000-year storm event. Also, since the goal of restoring salmon runs has been a success, fishery regulations have made it difficult to remove vegetation impacting the sightlines of the artwork.
In April 2008, the Kent Arts Commission nominated the Earthworks for a City Landmark Designation. The site was proclaimed "exceptionally significant" prior to the dam safety construction project, which took place over the summer of 2008.
Partnering with King County's Office of Historic Preservation brought the spirit of collaboration full circle, since the impetus for Bayer's Earthworks was King County's groundbreaking Earthworks: Land Reclamation as Sculpture symposium in 1979. The Kent Arts Commission is currently partnering with 4Culture (previously the King County Arts Commission) on a restoration project.
This attraction is located about
5.5
miles from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
As a Bauhaus master, Herbert Bayer’s entire career was dedicated to integrating artistic concerns into the everyday operations of society. With the Earthworks, he created a much loved public park, a stormwater detention dam and a modernist masterpiece. Installed in 1982, the Earthworks was immediately lauded for its fusion of art and infrastructure, making the installation a powerful precedent for engineers, landscape architects and artists.
A series of sculpted spaces that feel both ancient and modern, the Earthworks’ pure forms—cones, circles, lines and berms—are built into the alluvial delta at the mouth of Mill Creek Canyon. Grass and concrete, a wood bridge and steps: these are the materials at work, joined by the natural forces of Mill Creek itself.
landmark designation and restoration
Today, the same issues that necessitated building the Earthworks 25 years ago have intensified dramatically. The regulations for the dam's spillway have increased from a 100-year storm event to a 10,000-year storm event. Also, since the goal of restoring salmon runs has been a success, fishery regulations have made it difficult to remove vegetation impacting the sightlines of the artwork.
In April 2008, the Kent Arts Commission nominated the Earthworks for a City Landmark Designation. The site was proclaimed "exceptionally significant" prior to the dam safety construction project, which took place over the summer of 2008.
Partnering with King County's Office of Historic Preservation brought the spirit of collaboration full circle, since the impetus for Bayer's Earthworks was King County's groundbreaking Earthworks: Land Reclamation as Sculpture symposium in 1979. The Kent Arts Commission is currently partnering with 4Culture (previously the King County Arts Commission) on a restoration project.
| Duration | : | about 1 hour |
| Hours | : | All Kent parks are open from dawn until dusk unless otherwise posted by the City of Kent Parks & Recreation Department. |
| Features | : | Free Parking |
| Phone | : | 253-856-5050 |
| Website | : | http://www.ci.kent.wa.us/content.aspx... |
