SEATTLE — Changes could be coming to Seattle’s Gas Works Park.
City officials are considering removing climbable features from the park’s historic industrial structures. They’ll meet Wednesday afternoon to review a proposal from the Settle Landmarks Preservation Board.
The proposal outlines 10 different falls since 2012 – three of which were deadly.
The most recent happened this summer. In July, a 15-year-old boy died from his injuries after falling from one of the structures during a pop-up concert.
A Seattle Fire Department spokesperson said that Mattheis Johnson fell from a platform roughly 50 feet in the air.
He was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition but passed away at the hospital.
According to a Seattle Parks and Recreation report, the towers are not structurally sound and were never intended for public access. The report includes an expert analysis conducted by a structural engineer and a list of ways to make the structure less climbable.
Wednesday’s meeting is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Seattle City Hall.
The towers were built in the early 1900s as part of a plant that turned coal into gas. They were later incorporated into the design of the park as a nod to the city’s industrial history.
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