Schmitz Park Elementary is a Seattle Public School located on the southeast corner of land donated to the City of Seattle by the Schmitz Family at the turn of the last century. Between 1908 and 1912, Ferdinand and Emma Schmitz donated the forest land that today is Schmitz Park. A portion of the property was later given for Schmitz Park Elementary School.

Nestled on 50th Avenue SW between SW Spokane and SW Hinds streets, Schmitz Park School opened in 1953 with a utility building and portables. On November 16, 1962, a formal dedication ceremony welcomed Schmitz Park Elementary. The school is an inviting single story building that sits adjacent to the only piece of old growth forest remaining in the city, a legacy left to us by the Schmitz family. Today, Schmitz Park Elementary School houses a population of 324 students with two classrooms at each grade level, K through 5.

Schmitz Park Old Growth Forest

Schmitz Preserve was donated to the city in pieces between 1908 and 1912. The most generous chunk came from a German immigrant/pioneer/banker/realtor named Ferdinand Schmitz, who served on the park commission during those years. It was Schmitz's idea, as he saw how rapidly the great forest was disappearing, to preserve part of it in its natural state.

Even Schmitz's land had not been completely untouched by logging, though. Some huge stumps in the park still show deep notches hacked high above the ground for the "spring-boards" on which axe men would stand to avoid having to chop through the lower root crown, the thickest and hardest part of the tree. After 1908, however, the new park rapidly gained popularity as a quiet complement to the West Seattle park complex. Except for the paved entrance and a parking lot at the northwest corner, the park has remained essentially unchanged ever since.

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