Saint Edward Seminary

Dear Neighbors:

After 40-plus years of the former St. Edward seminary building sitting empty and neglected, Mary and I look forward to welcoming you to The Lodge at St. Edward State Park.

Depending on public health prerequisites, we will open on May 7th with a ribbon cutting on the west lawn at 11:00 AM.  We will also hold a community only private open house from 2:00 to 6:00 PM on May 6th.  We are both excited to share the fine craftwork that has resulted in the rehabilitation of this one-of-a-kind landmark building. It has been a long and difficult journey, but the results are spectacular in our opinions.

Our aim for The Lodge is to embrace our community; and hopefully earn a spot as a trusted partner and neighbor.  When you get a chance to visit, you will see a focus on the Pacific Northwest with local products for sale, a gallery featuring PNW artists, and other nods to the incredible place we live.  The permanent art collection includes the PNW’s own Julie Speidel, Sabah Al-Dahaher, Paul Vexler, and others whom we look forward to sharing at the opening.

We have named the restaurant, Cedar & Elm, given the tranquil park setting. It will be led by a James Beard winning chef and will feature an amazing team of assistant chefs focusing on seasonal, locally sourced menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Our three lounges will host Pacific Northwest wines, craft cocktails, and of course our area’s own local breweries. And as proud grandparents, we promise to have a kid-friendly ambiance. How could we not?

In our unique way, the décor reflects the history of the building and place, inspired to surprise and delight visitors with musings of local heritage and architecture.  In the Tonsorium Bar (former barbershop) you will be taken back in time to the 1930’s, while the Library (former seminary library) will be a more peaceful experience with an interesting book collection and gaming tables for serious gamers.  And we hope everyone gathers at Father Mulligan’s Heritage Pub and it becomes the go to spot in Kenmore for catching up with your neighbors.

Spa Vita Nova will focus on whole body health and wellness, incorporating many of the herbal teachings of our neighbor, Bastyr University.

One-time classrooms are now technology equipped meeting areas to host community events, educational symposiums, workshops, and business retreats.

This project has a special meaning for Mary and me – it is the park in which we said, “I do” and the place in which I plan to say, “adieu” from real estate development.  As your hosts, we hope that you come and stay overnight on those special occasions, but the emphasis of all this work has been to create a treasured community gathering place for all. 

When we open, please stop by and say hello, and enjoy the incredible craftmanship that our Pacific Northwest based team has put forth from restoration to preservation to interior design to brand development to curated artwork to hotel management – to you!

Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Kevin & Mary Daniels

view letter as pdf

For the first time in history, this landmark building has a lady’s powder room.

Follow us during the next few months for more sneak peek pics.

It’s been a long journey for the former St. Edward Seminary building.  After 40-years of sitting empty, we are in the final months of preserving the past while reimagining the future.  The entrance is almost completed as we are nearing completion with a hopeful grand opening in May.

What do you think of our logos?  We have been busy working behind the scenes and have curated two logos by a local firm, the Ames Bros.  Throughout this project we have purposefully sought and hired local talent and artisans to help restore, preserve, and transform the seminary into a special place for all to enjoy. We have been inspired by many who have ensured that their contributions were above and beyond.  Thank you!

It is all coming together with interiors inspired by the intricate details of the building and surrounding natural beauty of the state park.  Check out our design inspiration page here to see the interior renderings.  Check back soon, a lot is happening in the next few eight weeks.

12-7-2020 – The underground garage is almost complete.  As noted earlier, the garage will be for Lodge guests to preserve public parking for park visitors.  Soon we will be adding more parking stalls to the NE side of the gymnasium for public use.

We are ringing the bell to let supporters know that we are commencing with the interiors of the Lodge. A pause allowed for new design decisions that we think will be worth the wait. To celebrate, we have a new video about the history of the bell from the Reverend Father Ryan, of St. James Cathedral in Seattle, who was a student at the seminary and part of the Archdiocese’s strategic team that negotiated the preservation of the land and building as a state park. Thank you, Father Ryan for your foresight over 40-years ago, and for sharing your memories about the bell.

Great news, we are nearing the completion of first phase of the renovation which has included full restoration of the exterior façade, including the roof, and a careful process of getting the interior ready for its transformation into a NW lodge. This has included removing and restoring all the original windows and bringing the plumbing and electrical up to code and placed where we need additional utilities. For the next few weeks, the activity at the Lodge will be quiet as we prepare for the second phase which is the interior design and build. Currently the Lodge is scheduled to open in the Summer of 2021.

Just in time for Spring, the construction men and women working at the Lodge will complete the restoration of the roof. If you are at the park, you can see the original roof tiles being placed back after substantial repair work was completed. There is also a lot going on inside. To see photo updates go to our Gallery page here.

For more behind scenes updates visit our Gallery page here

At Daniels Real Estate, we understand that historic preservation
is about reflecting our past while inspiring our future.

Our approach is thoughtful and unequaled in the Pacific Northwest, largely due to the talented union craftspeople who work meticulously with our team to preserve our local landmarks. Daniels Real Estate would like to acknowledge the following companies, union women and men,
who are working tirelessly to restore the former St. Edward Seminary into a quintessential Northwest Lodge and community asset.

International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, PNW ADC Local #2
International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 5
International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, Local #7
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local #46
International Brotherhood of Boilmakers, Iron Shop Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers, Local #502
Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Assoc. of the United States of America, Local #528

Lydig Construction has erected scaffolding to begin to repair the brick and cast stone.  Built in 1930, this is the first time that the masonry façade of the building has been repaired.  During 2019, windows and other exterior historic elements will be removed, repaired and reinstalled.  The restoration is a meticulous effort, meeting federal preservation standards.

The construction fence around the Seminary and former swimming pool building has been moved to enclose the adjacent upper parking lot.  This is for construction mobilization, exterior restoration of the brick and cast stone, and public safety.  It does not represent the lease footprint of the Lodge and is only temporary.  The construction fence is will be fully removed when the Lodge opens in 2020.

 Please Note: Access to the gymnasium is from the north parking lot.

The construction fence is only temporary and will be fully removed when the Lodge opens in 2020.

November 28, 2017 - Daniels Real Estate today released the first renderings of the Lodge at Saint Edward Park. Slated to open in 2020, the Romanesque Revival architecture and Art Deco interiors will be restored to federal standards for the public to enjoy for the first time in history. As a seminary, the building was not open to the public and when purchased by the state in 1976, it was mostly shuttered for over 40-years. As a Lodge, it will provide a quintessential Pacific Northwest experience with a décor that embraces the peaceful setting.
For more information regarding this project, please visit:: https://danielsre.com/thelodgeatstedward/