Created in 1971, the park consists of the Occidental Avenue S. right-of-way between S. Washington and S. Jackson Streets, in addition to half a city block between S. Main and S. Jackson Streets. It is the site of the former Carrollton Hotel, run by a Japanese American family and described in
Monica Sone's memoir
Nisei Daughter, which was demolished in 1956. The former
Waterfront Streetcar bisected the park, running along S. Main Street. The park is in the heart of Seattle's largest art gallery district, and several galleries face onto Occidental Mall. The
Downtown Seattle Association began "activating" the park with summertime seating and activities in 2015 under a
public–private partnership, also bringing events to be hosted in the park. Occidental Park is the starting point for the "March to the Match", a five-block parade of
Seattle Sounders FC soccer fans led by the
Emerald City Supporters to
Lumen Field prior to each home game. The park is also used for a weekly
farmers' market and seasonal events managed by the
Downtown Seattle Association. The
Fallen Firefighters Memorial is a bronze sculpture group by
Hai Ying Wu. It was inspired by the deaths of four Seattle firefighters who died January 5, 1995 fighting a
fire in the Mary Pang warehouse in Seattle's
International District. ==See also==