The Waterfall Garden Park epitomizes Seattle’s ability to blend the natural with the constructed. Tucked away on the corner of 2nd Avenue South and South Main Street, the park is an oasis in the middle of Pioneer Square and in the shadow of Smith Tower.

Finished in 1978, the park is a 60-foot-by-108-foot brick enclosure featuring a 22-foot waterfall in one corner, composed of natural granite boulders taken from a nearby mountainside.

“The sound of the water is very calming,” said Jeremy Adams, who works near the park. “It covers all the noise from the city around you and makes you forget you’re even in a big city.”

The falling water requires the pumping of 5,000 gallons of water per minute, which is continuously filtered and re-circulated for conservation purposes.

At each of the two entrances stands a sculpture with water flowing over it, and a small stream runs around the perimeter of the enclosure. According to a posted pamphlet about the park, the purpose of the sculptures and stream is to literally surround visitors with water.

“I come here three or four times a week,” said Paul Waters, who also works nearby. “As many times as I can, really. It’s a nice spot — peaceful — in a city of noise and honking horns. It’s a great place to relax and read and enjoy your lunch.”

Scattered throughout the park are planters containing a vast array of different plants and trees to augment the natural feeling. There are also several benches and small patio-style table-and-chair sets for visitors to utilize, and there is enough space to have a private area or to be more social. The noise from the waterfall allows for privacy in conversation.

“It’s so pretty,” said Laura Lira, who comes to the park once each week. “And it’s a good place to either bring a friend or just come alone. I can come by myself and think about things and process the week, or I can bring a friend and catch up.”

The park was created by, and is maintained by, the Annie E. Casey Foundation. It is located at the site of the 1907 founding of the United Parcel Service (UPS) and commemorates that occasion.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation was started in 1948 by UPS founder James Casey and his siblings in honor of their mother. The foundation’s stated goals, according to its Web site, are to “foster public policies, human-service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today’s vulnerable children and families.”

Casey had, by 1948, accumulated wealth far beyond his personal needs, and he and his siblings decided to start the philanthropic organization to recognize the efforts their mother made raising them as a young widow and to help meet the needs of others.

According to the pamphlet: “At this site, United Parcel Service was founded in 1907 in a small basement office under the sidewalk of an old office building.” At the time of its founding, the company was called the American Messenger Company, becoming United Parcel Service in 1919 when the company moved to Oakland, Calif. UPS is now an international package delivery company.

“I never knew that UPS started in Seattle until I came here,” said Adams. “I mean, I never really thought about it, but when I think ‘Seattle,’ I think Starbucks and Boeing … not UPS.”

For the people of Seattle, the site now allows for a moment of rest in the midst of chaos — quite a difference from its original incarnation.

“I love that this is here,” said Adams. “It’s a little bit of history, a lot of beauty, and a great place to come and just sit. That’s one of the greatest things about Seattleites: Even though we’ve always got a lot going on, we still remember the importance of taking a good break.”

Reach features editor Randy Ferreiro at features@dailyuw.com.