For 20 years, Friends of Magnuson Park, a plucky non-profit made up of Park enthusiasts and historians, has focused its efforts on historic preservation.

Friends of Magnuson Park (formerly Friends of Naval Air Station Seattle Historic District) formed in 2002 when changes were proposed to the historic district overlay at the former Sand Point Naval Air Station that would allow for demolition of historic buildings for redevelopment.

At the time, most neighbors did not realize that the historic district was not protected under the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. Friends, representing neighborhood and Navy interests, grew and merged with Friends of Magnuson Park to work on common goals of preservation, celebration and reuse of the historic base.

Friends successfully fought and advocated for the listing of Naval Air Station Seattle in the National Register of Historic Places (2009) and Washington Heritage Register (2010). Galvanized by the federal and state register listings, Friends led by Lynn Ferguson, took the next step and submitted a landmark district nomination to the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board in 2010. This was a major effort for a grassroots, all-volunteer organization to undertake and we were successful. The designation process was completed in March 2011 when the Board voted to designate the former Sand Point Naval Air Station as a Landmark District, the first historic district in Seattle in twenty-three years.

- Sourced from a 2011 Historic Seattle Community Advocacy Award write up on Friends

Today, we continue our efforts to preserve the history of Sand Point from pre-contact indigenous uses of the shoreline through its development as an airfield and military base to today. These stories we share through exhibits, tours and public programs with the belief that knowing our history is the best way to create advocates for the Historic District's long-term preservation.