‘This could really use some help’: How one woman led the transformation of an overgrown West Seattle Junction corner

(Nancy Tyler with new plantings, photo courtesy WSJA)

By Macey Wurm
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Earlier this summer, Nancy Tyler was walking down 44th Ave SW when she found herself noticing the abundance of overgrown foliage plaguing the block’s sidewalk and visual appeal. Instead of continuing on, Tyler decided to take matters into her own hands. As a lifelong West Seattleite and avid gardener, she wanted to launch a beautification project for the space.

Nancy has been weeding, pruning, and tidying the intersection of 44th Ave SW and SW Alaska St for weeks, but Saturday morning was a milestone – she, her partner Andrew, and some helpful friends completed the transformation of the intersection’s southwest corner.

(WSB photo – Nancy & Andrew after Saturday planting)

Though Nancy spearheaded the project, the community was eager to assist. West Seattle Nursery donated the topsoil, and nearby Junction Hardware donated and delivered three yards of bark.

(Nancy, Andrew, and Efran from Junction Hardware – photo courtesy WSJA)

She expressed special thanks to Chris Mackay, executive director of the West Seattle Junction Association, calling Chris “her champion” throughout the process.

The plants themselves were all purchased by Nancy. Among them are rose bushes, salvia, and others selected for their traits as no-maintenance, drought-resistant pollinator-friendly plants, she explained.

Passersby waved, honked their horns, and rolled down their car windows for words of gratitude as Nancy and her team worked for the past few weeks.

Among these was Don Cushing, who had a bit of a different story to tell. His focus was not on the beautification of the corner’s plant life, but rather the restoration of the old, unassuming flagpole at its center.

(Nancy & Don Cushing – this photo and next courtesy Nancy Tyler)

He explained that the pole had been there since 1917, and is a remnant of both a fire and police station that had consecutively occupied the space in the early-mid-1900s. The building was eventually torn down in 1967, and converted into the parking lot existing today.

This little piece of history gave Nancy a new perspective on her project. “Instead of just weeding it, it’s like, wow. We should honor this. We should make this a focal point.”

WSJA has since contacted West Seattle Trusteed Properties, owner of the site, in hopes of getting the pole restored to its former glory. If that happens, the historic flagpole would serve as the centerpiece for Nancy’s work on the southwest corner.

Though Saturday’s planting marked a significant accomplishment in the beautification project, her work is far from done. She told WSB she is currently in the process of making improvements to the entirety of the block, including the landscape islands within the parking lot. “There’s nothing like gravel or bark or new topsoil that instantly makes it look cleaner.”

So far, Nancy has cut back an overhanging tree to make two wooden benches usable again, has weeded portions of the sidewalk, and trimmed up various bushes. She pointed out a Yucca plant she had recently trimmed, after which a woman expressed her thanks, as she had observed a wheelchair user struggling to navigate the sidewalk it had previously obstructed.

Her efforts also aim at discouraging people from throwing trash and disposing of other items in the overgrown brush, where she said she found both an old Christmas tree and a bike frame.

It all just started with a simple observation: “I take pride in my neighborhood, of course. So walking through here in July, I’m like, this really could use some help.”

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