What to See in Bellevue - Top Sights and Attractions

City park in Bellevue, Washington. Bellevue Downtown Park is a 20-acre park located in downtown Bellevue, Washington, United States, a suburb of Seattle. The park consists of a circular ring with a large central greenspace that is surrounded by a moat and walking trails. It is situated between Bellevue Square Mall to the north, Bellevue Way to the east, and Main Street to the south.

The idea for a park in downtown Bellevue was created from civic and private leadership, which saw the City's potential for shaping its future during a time of rapid growth and development. In the early 1980s, economic forces were rapidly influencing the character of downtown Bellevue. Its center was emerging as a hub for commercial and business activity, and the city was seen as a desirable residential community. In the middle of this dynamic period of growth, the City Council and community leaders saw the necessity of creating an amenity within the City which would help define its character and provide open space in an increasingly urban downtown core. The park was designed for passive and unstructured use, and as a "respite from the activities of busy urban life."

In December 1983, the City of Bellevue acquired 17 acres (69,000 m2) within Bellevue's central business district from the Bellevue School District for $14.3 Million, and financed the transaction through Councilmanic bonds backed by a local option sales tax. In the years since the park land was purchased, approximately four acres have been added to the site.^[2]

Lake in Washington State. Phantom Lake is a small lake inside the city limits of Bellevue, Washington, east of Seattle. A 2.6-mile pedestrian trail circles the lake, and according to the city government, Bellevue's oldest and largest trees are there. Located about a mile north of Interstate 90 and west of nearby Lake Sammamish, its surface elevation is approximately 250 feet above sea level.

Historically, Phantom Lake once drained to the north through the Kelsey Creek basin. Nineteenth-century farmer Henry Thode redirected the Phantom Lake outlet to Lake Sammamish, creating Weowna Creek in the process. Today, Phantom Lake has a surface area of 63 acres (0.25 km2) and a maximum depth of 45 feet (14 m).

Bellevue Airfield, closed in 1983, was nearby to the southwest; the approach to runway 20 was along the lake's southeastern shore.^[6]

Building in Bellevue, Washington. The Bellevue City Hall is a government office building and city hall in Bellevue, Washington. The current city hall, located in Downtown Bellevue, opened in 2006 after the $121 million renovation of a former Qwest data center. The data center, originally built for Pacific Northwest Bell in 1983, was acquired by the city government in 2002 for use by the Bellevue Police Department and later approved as the new city hall. It incorporates use of wood interiors and a terra cotta exterior that has been recognized with several design awards since its opening.

The city hall replaced an older office complex outside of downtown that was originally built in 1964. The site was renovated and expanded in 1978, but was slated for replacement a decade later. It was demolished in 2007 and replaced with a Lexus car dealership. The current city hall is located adjacent to the Bellevue Transit Center and will be home to a light rail station that opens in 2023.^[7]

Lake in Washington State. Lake Bellevue, also called Lake Sturtevant, is a small lake inside the city limits of Bellevue, Washington. Along with Phantom Lake and Larsen Lake, it is one of three small lakes inside the city, which also borders Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish. Sturtevant Creek, a tributary of Kelsey Creek, has its origin at Lake Bellevue and contains Chinook, Sockeye and Coho salmon. In the 773-acre creek basin, 71% of the land has an impervious surface.

The lake is named for settler Clark Merrill Sturtevant, a United States Civil War veteran who homesteaded there in 1872.

Tracks for the Northern Pacific Railroad passing near the lake were laid in 1904. Sound Transit acquired part of the right of way for East Link Extension light rail. The Wilburton station, under construction in 2017, will be near the west side of the lake. The Spring District development and its separate light rail station about one half mile (one kilometer) away will be near the northeastern shore of the lake.^[8]

Convention center in Bellevue, Washington. Meydenbauer Center is a convention center in Bellevue, Washington. It is located adjacent to Bellevue City Hall and Interstate 405. The center opened in 1993. It has a 36,000-square-foot exhibition hall, a 12,000-square-foot meeting room, a 410-seat performing arts theatre, and 434 parking spaces. In 2009 the center added a 2,500 sqft executive center that includes three meeting rooms. Meydenbauer Center hosts over 300 events each year including conventions, corporate meetings and events, and trade shows.

It is owned and operated by Bellevue Convention Center Authority (BCCA). The BCCA Board of Directors are appointed by the Bellevue City Manager and confirmed by the Bellevue City Council.^[13]

Condominium complex in Bellevue, Washington. Bellevue Towers is a high rise condominium complex in downtown Bellevue, Washington. Construction began in 2006 and was completed in 2009. The 42 and 43 story towers have 539 condo units, 17,000 square feet of retail space, and eight levels of underground parking. The project is 85% sold as of January 2013. Bellevue Towers stands on a 2.43-acre site.

Bellevue Towers is the largest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certified residential development in the Pacific Northwest with its energy-efficient glass facade, low-flow plumbing fixtures, dual-flush toilets, rooftop garden between the towers, and efficient condensing boiler. The $436 million project was developed by Gerding Edlen and built by Hoffman Construction Company. The project was not a financial success: Gerding Edlen could not pay off its loans, and had to turn the project over to their lender in 2011.^[15]

Bridge in Bellevue, Washington. The Wilburton Trestle is a historic wooden railway trestle in Bellevue, Washington. Measuring 102 feet high and 975 feet long, it is the longest wooden trestle in the Pacific Northwest.

The trestle carried a single track of a former Northern Pacific branch line over a valley that used to be an extension of Lake Washington. The line ran approximately 40 miles (64 km) from Renton in the south to Snohomish in the north. Before the abandonment of the rail line by BNSF, freight trains ran six days a week, including those carrying Boeing's aircraft fuselages to its assembly plant in Renton. It was also used daily by the popular Spirit of Washington Dinner Train, but this service ceased at the end of June 2007.

The trestle was originally completed in 1904 as part of the Northern Pacific Railway's Lake Washington Belt Line from Black River Junction (south of Seattle) to Woodinville. It was subsequently rebuilt four separate times, in 1913, 1924, 1934, and 1943, due to deterioration of the timber. In 1973, a road, the Lake Hills Connector, was cut through the trestle, replacing a short section with concrete piers and steel deck girders.

Wilburton Trestle saw its last regularly scheduled daily-except-Sunday passenger trains (Northern Pacific Nos. 445-446) on July 19, 1922. The train schedule was ended during a national railway strike and never resumed. Several Casey Jones excursion trains crossed the trestle in the 1950s and 1960s. The Spirit of Washington dinner train operated between Renton and Woodinville from May 1992 to July 31, 2007. The last train over the trestle was a BNSF freight carrying Boeing 737 fuselages to Renton, on February 26, 2008. In May 2008 BNSF sold the railway line to the Port of Seattle, which in turn later sold it to King County.

The trestle is a distinctive landmark noticed by travelers on Interstate 405 through Bellevue. While it is believed that this is the trestle pictured in the 1963 Elvis Presley movie It Happened at the World's Fair, further evidence indicates that that trestle was over the White River between Enumclaw and Buckley.

Wilburton Trestle should not be confused with Wilburton Tunnel, which was a tunnel for the southbound lanes of I-405 under the railroad. The tunnel was located about a quarter mile south of the trestle prior to its demolition on August 16, 2008 for freeway improvement and widening.

The trestle is planned to be rehabilitated with deck repairs and seismic upgrades to prepare for its use on the Eastrail pedestrian and bicycle trail network. The trail section is planned to open by 2026 and is estimated to cost $7.5 million, to be funded by a grant from Amazon.^[17]

Neighborhood in Bellevue, Washington. Washington Square is a 10.5-acre mixed-use neighborhood under construction in downtown Bellevue, Washington, United States. Developed by Wasatch Development Associates and designed by architect Collins Woerman, the project, also known as the "Superblock," will include four or five high rise towers with residential, office, hotel, and 160,000 square feet of ground level retail space. The community is planned to be "pedestrian friendly" and feature a dog park, fountain, landscaping, and walkways.

The first phase, which includes two residential towers, was completed in the fall of 2008. Tower one and Tower two are 24 and 26 stories respectively. They stand at a height of 260 feet (79 m), and include 353 condominium units and 26 townhomes between them. Washington Square is the third chapter in the Bellevue redesign following the Bellevue Square and Lincoln Square projects.

Additional phases of this superbock have not yet been scheduled for construction.^[18]