In 1991 Seattle architect Fred Bassetti and Seattle Times columnist John Hinterberger first proposed the idea for a 61-acre park stretching from downtown Seattle to Lake Union, envisioning a vast civic lawn framed by high-tech laboratories, condos, restaurants, and urban amenities. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen donated $20 million to buy property for the Seattle Commons, but the plan eventually failed and was defeated by public votes in 1995 and 1996. The Seattle Commons was based on Virgil Bogue's 1911 plan to redevelop large parts of the city, which was similarly voted down.

This map shows the proposed changes to the South Lake Union neighborhood and was included in a folder of promotional materials about the plan.

Caption information source: "Seattle voters reject the Seattle Commons levy on September 19, 1995," by Paula Becker, HistoryLink.org Essay 8252