Urban art with a green heart

A detail from Alexander Calder's ''Eagle,'' a work in Seattle's Olympic Sculpture Park. (WESSEL KOK FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE)

SEATTLE - In an impressive makeover, this forward-thinking city has turned a former fuel-storage and transfer facility into a striking sculpture park.

Opened by the Seattle Art Museum last year, Olympic Sculpture Park, on the northern end of the waterfront, is in a vibrant area to stroll, shop, eat, and admire world-class sculpture. The nine acres of green space that overlook Puget Sound and look out at the Olympic Mountains bring together the best of this city: art and outdoor recreation.

What's most impressive is the way the park melds contemporary landscape design with existing urban infrastructure. A 2,500-foot, Z-shaped route follows the landform, leading from the visitors center and cafe on a hilltop through a series of outdoor "galleries" marked by differing landscaping down to a waterfront recreational path.

Of course the 21 sculptures take center stage, representing such artists as Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Richard Serra, and Ellsworth Kelly.

The most provocative sculpture is Mark Dion's "Neukom Vivarium." The New Bedford native and Pennsylvania resident custom-designed a greenhouse that houses a 60-foot-long western hemlock nurse log, whose decay and renewal represents the cycle of life.

Olympic Sculpture Park, 2901 Western Ave., 206-654-3100, seattle artmuseum.org. Opens 30 minutes before sunrise and closes 30 minutes after sunset. Free.

DIANE DANIEL