VPT replaced the former aging amphitheater structure with a thoughtfully designed new facility by the award-winning architectural team at ORA. The Volunteer Park Amphitheater was completed and opened to the public in July 2022.

VPT is working with Seattle Parks & Recreation to add a new “welcome” sign to the historic stone monument situated northwest of the Water Tower. The stone face, currently blank, previously held a memorial plaque that in 2022 was removed by SPR following a review led by VPT and a number of community partners, which had flagged the memorial plaque as inaccurate and offensive. The new welcome sign, still in development.

VPT’s Emerging Leaders Committee added the first pilot round of 30 tree identification plaques for the park in Fall of 2024. These plaques will help park visitors learn about the diverse, fascinating selection of tree species that call Volunteer Park home.

Throughout 2024, VPT provided infill planting to the shrub hedges that surround the park’s historic Lily Pond features, installed a new drip irrigation system to support the hedges over time, and repaired existing irrigation to the garden beds nearby the Lily Ponds and the Black Sun sculpture.

Volunteer Park Trust worked with Seattle Parks & Recreation and Seattle Conservation Corps to improve the North-South walking path parallel to 15th Ave E. The project was completed in June 2024.

A new ADA-accessible water fountain, with a pet bowl, was installed on the north side of the SAAM forecourt in Spring 2024. The new fountain is the same design as the fountain adjacent to the playground.

In an effort to standardize the design of garbage and recycling cans and reduce the number of plastic cans, VPT funded the installation of new, metal cans throughout the park in Spring 2023.

In the fall of 2018, new wrought iron fences were installed around Volunteer Park’s two lily ponds. These fences make the park safer for children, add an additional Olmstedian touch of aesthetic to the park, and also allow for wildlife’s continued enjoyment of the ponds.

Volunteer Park Trust worked in partnership with Seattle Parks & Recreation and Seattle Public Utilities to improve the lighting throughout Volunteer Park.