Killarney Glen Park was one of the first parks to emerge in Bellevue after the city’s incorporation. The first Bellevue park bond passed in 1956. This allowed the city to purchase the 10-acre parcel of marsh and woodland in 1958 for $25,000.
The city held a park naming contest in April of 1959. Catherine Gene Walker, a seventh-grader at Bellevue High School, selected the winning name “Killarney Glen.” This name may refer to the nearby Killarney Way or one of the three pieces of land in the immediate vicinity that were platted under the names “Killarney,” “Killarney No 2,” and “Killarney No. 3.”
Park development took place in 1961. Originally, park employees tried to turn the swampy area into a pond. When that proved unsuccessful, workers put in pipes and drained the swamp into Mercer Slough instead. The city also built a play area, tennis courts, a parking lot, a basketball court, picnic tables and benches. Most of the park remained woodland, which was made accessible by a series of walking trails.
The official ribbon-cutting ceremony took place in 1962. In addition to local residents and city employees, members of the Killarney Glen Garden Club No. 2 and Scout Troop 602 also attended the celebration. In the next years, these groups and others would contribute to the maintenance and improvement of the park, usually through donating and planting trees and shrubs.
The park is located at 1933 104th Ave. S.E.
Heritage Corner is a feature in the Bellevue Reporter. To learn more about Bellevue and Eastside history contact the Eastside Heritage Center at 425-450-1049 or visit EastsideHeritageCenter.org.
