TACOMA, WA: A new waterfront park commemorating Tacoma’s history and offering unique play spaces for children is now open.
Melanie Jan LaPlant Dressel Park sits on .75 acres at 1147 Dock St. along Thea Foss Waterway. It took about one year for the $4.6 million project to be completed, although the vision and fundraising for the park dates back much further.
A Northwest-themed play area includes a curvy metal slide coming down from a 36-foot climbing tower reminiscent of a 200-foot smokestack that stood on the property in the early 1900s when it was a heating plant.
In a throwback to the industrial past of the site, there is also a log jam play area.
A 50-foot pedestrian bridge in the center of the park connects to the play tower. Under the bridge, a concrete walkway extends from Dock Street to a viewing platform of the shoreline where visitors can see downtown Tacoma, Mount Rainier and a marina.
An esplanade running the width of the park adds another segment to the walkway that will eventually connect the entire waterfront from the Museum of Glass on the south end to Thea’s Park on the north.
For protection of a waterline environmental cap, visitors will not be able to access the water from Melanie’s Park.
There are trees, picnicking and viewing areas, restrooms and a pavilion that can be rented for small parties and events.
Since the park is on the traditional homeland of the Puyallup Tribe and near the main historic village site, interpretive signs describe the Tribe’s historic and continued presence on the waterfront, Lushootseed names and pronunciation of several words, and the significance of the local Fishing Wars on upholding treaty rights.
Coast Salish basket weaving designs by mother-daughter duo Denise Reed and Sharron Nelson are stamped onto the parks’ concrete walkways. Passed down for generations, the designs represent their tribal history and the things they love – mountains, ocean, canoes, animals, family and gathering plants.
Melanie’s Park offers learning opportunities about the site’s past as tribal lands and an industrial plant.
After a century of industrial use, the Environmental Protection Agency in 1983 declared a 12-acre stretch of Commencement Bay a Superfund site and ordered a cleanup.
The City of Tacoma, along with those responsible for dumping waste into the waterway, embarked on a massive cleanup that was completed in 2006. Officials then envisioned a vibrant esplanade that could help redevelop the area, bringing restaurants, apartment buildings, businesses and parks to the waterfront.
Foss Waterway Development Authority started the fundraising for Melanie’s Park, which includes $1.2 million in private donations, $750,000 from the City of Tacoma, $490,000 from the State and $50,000 from Pierce County. Metro Parks contributed $2.2 million in voter-approved bonds.
About Melanie
Melanie LaPlant Dressel was a banker, community leader and beloved wife, mother and grandmother.
She grew up in Colville and worked at the Bank of California and Puget Sound Bank before helping found Columbia Bank. She held the top spot there as CEO until her death in 2017.
American Banker Magazine named Dressel Community Banker of the Year in 2011 and seven times listed her as one of the 25 most powerful women in banking. She held positions on multiple community boards and earned a reputation as a savvy businesswoman with a kind heart and fondness for children.
“She always thought about other people, she got along with everybody, and people were important to her,” said Robert Dressel, her husband of 48 years.
The park was renamed in honor of Melanie the year after her death. Colleagues and friends imagined her looking down at the unencumbered view of the park from the Columbia Bank building and knew seeing children playing below would make her smile.
Accessibility, parking and rental space
The park was built to ADA accessibility standards, which includes pathways around the park, the pedestrian bridge and viewing areas.
Melanie’s Park is situated within walking distance of many public parking lots. There is an ADA-accessible street parking space in front of the park, designated for use by those with a properly displayed permit.
If you’re interested in renting space at the park, it can accommodate up to 36 people for picnics or small parties. Contact the Rentals Department at 253-404-3980 or rentals@tacomaparks.com for more information.
