News of Madison Valley

The Friends of Cayton Corner Park invite the community to an Open House on Tuesday, August 25, 2015 from 6 to 8 pm at Cayton Corner Park, 1831 E Madison St.

At the event the community is encouraged to learn about the new design, meet the designer, JA Brennan, ask questions and get involved. In 2011, funding from Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund contributed to the purchase of the 4,500 square foot, triangular-shaped lot on E Madison and 19th Ave. This property helped fill a need for open space in the neighborhood. The Friends of Cayton Corner Park have applied for and received two Department of Neighborhoods Neighborhood Matching Fund awards. With this funding, they hired the design consultant, JA Brennan. The “Friends” have been working hard to involve neighbors in the design process and have conducted work parties to keep the site tidy. Their leadership will transform the empty lot into a gathering place for a uniquely diverse neighborhood. 

The property at the corner of 19th Ave. and E Madison St. was named Cayton Corner Park.  Horace Cayton published the Seattle Republican, a newspaper directed at both white and black readers in the early 1900s. At one point the paper had the second largest circulation in the city. The Caytons were a very prominent family in the African American community, promoting education and making significant contributions to the development of our city and its ethnic populations.

For more information or to donate to this community-initiated park project please visit the Cayton Corner Park page on Facebook.