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The 90,000-square-foot seminary building at St. Edwards State Park is "one of Washington's unique treasures." But it hasn't been kept up since the 80s, and it's falling apart. Luckily, reports the P-I:
McMenamins, a Portland-based chain of hotels, restaurants and brew pubs, submitted a 2005 letter of intent to lease the seminary building and turn it into a hotel with a restaurant and a conference center.Brian McMenamin, co-owner of the company that made the initial proposal to use the building, said it seems a perfect fit for the company, which specializes in revitalizing historic buildings.
"It looks like the size and scope of similar projects we've done," he said. "We had ideas for a hotel, a fine dining restaurant, maybe a movie theater and pub, and some areas for weddings and a meeting space.
Hoorah! Oh, but wait...
"If McMenamins or someone else takes over the seminary building, they control the park," said Ray Benish, co-chairman of Citizens for St. Edward State Park, which wants a consortium of tenants to use the building."It's a beautiful, historic building, and it's been allowed to deteriorate, reaching the point that if we don't invest in it, we're going to lose it," said state Rep. Ruth Kagi, D-Lake Forest Park, who is opposed to McMenamins and is sponsoring state legislation to require an in-depth building review.
So this wonderful thing is going to fall down unless:
A) A existing, successful private business will take it over and run it for profit.
B) The state takes it over and decides what to do with it?
Not really sure what the problem is.
Hold on, we're going to get drunk and hit ourselves over the head with heavy piece of wood.
Okay, now we see the state's side. It's in the best interest of the neighbors to study the building, appoint a board, a citizen review panel, hold open hearings, and then deal with lawsuits. That way the people who live around the park won't have to deal with outside visitors driving past their house, or any noise louder than Dick Stein's voice.
Stop us if you've heard this one before.
Image from Mcmenamins' restoration of Kennedy School, now serving as a hotel, bar, and theater in Portland
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I would LOVE to have a McMenamins hotel/brewery/theater in Seattle! Their places are incredible!!
And just where the hell was Ray Benish and his Citizens for St. Edward State Park when the building was falling down from the 1980's till now hmmm?
You should put up some pics from the McMenamins website. Their past projects are jawdroppingly gorgeous.
I love McMenamins... And this would be a beautiful addition to their business. I just live across the water from that place but I'd stay there anyway. NIMBYs be damned.
Although I have my own, purely selfish motives for wanting to see Mike & Brian restore this fabulous piece of property, I have to say this is a case of NIMBYism at its worst. Apparently, the folks who live areound St. Edwards would rather see the buildings on the property continue to deteriorate, if it means fewer people will venture out into their neck of the woods.
Meanwhile, the State has a golden opportunity to earn some income, restore a building with historical significance, and all done by a company with a well-deserved reputation for rehabilitating these types of properties. While the issue of "control of the park" may be legitimate from a purely logistical standpoint, the neighbors seem to be complaining more from the perspective that such a deal would take away THEIR control, and put it into someone else's hands.
The obvious solution: give the St. Edwards neighbors the chance to submit their own lease proposal; see if they're willing and able to come up with the $$ to take over the property, restore it, and return it to some semblance of functionality. They can compete head-to-head with any other proposal, and let the State decide which option provides the greatest benefit.
If they're not willing to enter into the process, they should just STFU, and stand aside to let someone with proven experience, not to mention a sterling track-record do the job.
I think it would be awesome to have a bunch of drunk people hanging around the park. There is nothing more fun than tossing a frisbee when you're loaded. Plus, I'm sure the intoxicated crowd would love hanging out with the kids at the play area, or taking a spin around the pool. There couldn't be a more perfect answer to solving the State's budget problem than to bring a bar into the public's park. I wish we'd let a successful business like McMenamins run the Capitol building for profit, maybe then we wouldn't have these lame budget problems.
Jesu,
If you'd ever actually spent much time around any of the McMenamin establishmenst such as Edgefield, Kennedy School, Olympic Club, et al, you'd know just what a pathetic straw man argument you've set up.
Gee, thanks for turning a complex issue into a bumpersticker. David buddy, please show up at some meetings, check out what the good boys in Oregon proposed and tell me how deep your pockets are because the public isn't gonna subsidize a brew pub for any business in Oregon or for some folks who might like to get trashed in a pretty place. Sounds like you are cool with anyone with an idea walking into our state and saying give me that great piece of public property cuz I got this idea and I am a cool guy so trust me ... ummm well I am not. Nobody gets their grubby capitalistic fingers on the stuff my tax dollars bought without a real plan and some real proof it will benefit the public. If the good brothers from Orygun want to do something really civic minded and cool maybe they could tackle the old Olympia Brewery in Tumwater or King St. Station in Seattle or ... but hopefully they will come with something more concrete than a promise and a couple of ideas on what would be cool at St. Edward. Better a NIMBY than an nitwit my friend.
RD, the McMenamins people have a long track record of developing properties like this without any subsidies (in fact, given that the state sees no revenue from this now and is allowing the asset to deteriorate, the lease revenue and restoration investment would be a financial win for the state). They wouldn't be making a proposal if they didn't have a good idea of what they planned to do (far more than "a promise and a couple of ideas" -- and given their past expertise, it's a good bet they would be successful at it).
The only nitwit in this conversation, my friend, appears to be you (and a particularly clueless one at that).
RD -
Nobody gets their grubby capitalistic fingers on the stuff my tax dollars bought without a real plan and some real proof it will benefit the public.
Been to Safeco Field lately? Qwest Field? Are you a King County taxpayer? If so, then people do get their "grubby capitalistic fingers" on your tax dollars, and for no good reason if you're not a sports fan.
I moved to Portland from Seattle three years ago, and continue to be impressed with the McMenamin brothers and what they do. They take crumbling buildings and turn them into resources the entire area can enjoy - or do you not want to be able to go to dinner and a movie in a nice place in your neighborhood?
It's going to be restaurant, not a toxic waste storage facility. Where were all you "preservationists" when the building was sitting disused all these years?
I think it would be awesome to have a bunch of drunk people hanging around the park. There is nothing more fun than tossing a frisbee when you're loaded.
Yeah, because every establishment that serves beer is always a haven for thousands of loud public drunkards. Jesus, people, get a grip.