SAINT EDWARD STATE PARK

'Saint Edward State Park' is a 316 acre (1.28 km²) park in Kenmore, Washington and is part of the Washington State Park System. Before becoming a Catholic seminary and later a state park, the area was logged in the 19th century and again in the 1920s. A series of trails runs through the park for bicyclists and hikers. The forest canopy is primarily made up of the Coast Douglas-fir, Western Redcedar, Bigleaf Maple, Pacific Madrone and Western Hemlock. Its dense carpet includes many varieties of fern (mainly Western Sword Fern), shrub and moss. It is flanked on the west by an undeveloped beach on Lake Washington, and it surrounds the 'Saint Thomas Center', which currently houses Bastyr University.
The park's most singular feature is the 'St. Edward Seminary', listed on the Washington State Heritage Register since 1997"Your guide to Saint Edward State Park", Washington State Parks & Recreation Commission; document P&R 45-87000-1 (12/02) and added in April 2007 to the National Register of Historic Places. This large, historic building has fallen into disrepair in recent years, and is not currently accessible to the public except by special arrangement, e.g. renting the refectory for special events. Other facilities include an indoor swimming pool (Carole Ann Wald Pool), gymnasium, an outdoor stone sanctuary ("The Grotto"), a baseball field and a soccer field. It also boasts the largest children's playground in the state, built primarily by local volunteers in 2003. The park is day-use only, and no camping is permitted.
Dogs are allowed at Saint Edward State Park but state law requires that they be on a physical leash (8 feet or less) at all times.
A local citizens group, Friends of St. Edward State Park , assists the Park Department in scheduling park usage, but is barred by contract from advocacy.

Contents

Renovation

History

Notes

External links

Renovation

In 2005, Washington State Parks began a land-use planning project for the park. Also known as ''Classification and Management Planning (CAMP)'', the project addresses overall visitor experiences, natural and cultural resources, use of the park’s buildings, recreation fields and trails, and other topics of interest to the community and customers. Significant documentation on the project resides on its official webpage at http://www.parks.wa.gov/plans/sted/.
Because the "Friends" group is barred from advocacy, another citizens group, Citizens for Saint Edward State Park, C4SEP, has developed to contribute public comment and ideas. One proposal is to develop the main building into Saint Edward Environmental Learning Center. Another is the development of the seminary by McMenamins into a hotel, restaurant, and conference center. This was subsequently withdrawn in spring of 2007.
With elevated attention from C4SEP the State Legislature allocated $500k to evaluate the declining condition of the seminary seminary building, and $500k toward much needed and previously deferred maintenance.
With the newly available injection of funding, State Parks began an RFQ process with architectural firms Spring 2007, moving forward toward a timely evaluation, creating an opportunity for a wider array of prospective uses. See
Seattle Post Intelligencer Feb 2007 (search Edward)

History

From the 1920s until 1977, the land on which Saint Edward State Park sits was owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle, and used, from 1931, as a seminary by the Sulpician Order. The St. Edward Seminary was constructed in 1931, followed in 1958 by the Saint Thomas Seminary. Due to declining enrollments, the seminaries closed in 1977. Most of the land was sold to the State of Washington, with the support of then-governor Dixy Lee Ray. The remainder of the land, which includes the Saint Thomas Seminary (now Saint Thomas Center) continued under the ownership of the archdiocese until November of 2005, when its tenant, Bastyr University, finalized the purchase of the property.

Notes

External links

★ Saint Edward State Park

★ City of Kenmore Parks and Recreation

★ Saint Edward Environment Learning Center (SEELC)

★ Archdiocese of Seattle

★ Bastyr University

★ Seattle Citysearch review

★ Google Map

★ Saint Edward State Park Planning

★ Citizens for St. Edwards State Park

★ Friends of St. Edward State Park

★ Inglemoor High School Men Swim Team practice facility at Carole Ann Wald Pool

★ Inglemoor High School Women Swim Team practice facility at Carole Ann Wald Pool

★ Seattle Synchro (1984 & 2008 Olympics connected) home pool is Carole Ann Wald

★ NW Center's role as pool manager at Carole Ann Wald, Saint Edward