Seattle, WA
Community meeting will discuss Lee Center demolition to make way for Seattle University Museum of Art
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SUMA design rendering by Olson Kundig
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(Image: Lee Center for the Arts)
By Matt Dowell
An April 22nd meeting has been set between Seattle University and the community following concerns about the school’s plans to demolish its Lee Center for the Arts to make way for a new art museum on 12th Ave. An often behind-the-scenes public body flexed its muscles to get the meeting on the books after “unprecedented” public interest in the project’s early stages.
A year ago, Seattle U announced that a major donation from property developer Dick Hedreen, including his family’s 200-piece, $300 million collection of paintings, pottery, photography, etchings, and sculptures, would culminate in a new Seattle University Museum of Art (SUMA). When the university announced that the plans meant the Lee Center would have to go, students and faculty pushed back, saying that the building was a “critical space for students and community members” and that planned replacements were inadequate.
Now, the Seattle University’s Implementation Advisory Committee has stepped up. IACs are groups of city-appointed volunteers who monitor the development of Seattle’s major institutions – universities, colleges, and hospitals. The institutions are granted special zoning rules but must adhere to agreements made with their surrounding communities.
Kaiser Permanente’s IAC has recently advocated on behalf of the neighborhood for better use of empty storefronts and under-utilized parking space.
But chair John Feit says that, to date, Seattle U’s IAC hasn’t had much reason to question the university’s plans.
“We’ve reviewed two projects in my time,” he said. “In both cases, [the new] buildings were uncontroversial.” The committee focused more on “granular design” – how the new buildings would engage the street, how open they’d be to the public, what materials they’d use. The committee has never been involved in the “building siting” stage of the University’s designs.
The SUMA project has called for more action on the committee’s part.
“It’s surprising when you hear from several people in the neighborhood that they’re concerned.”
He feels that the IAC has a responsibility to the public to have those concerns heard and addressed. Last month, he and the committee asked the city to facilitate a meeting between the IAC and the University:
There has been an unprecedented interest in this project early on, and that interest centers around the proposed demolition of the Lee Center. The Lee Center is a treasured community and University asset and part of the 12th Avenue Arts District. It provides premium performance space that is not replicable by the soon-to-be acquired assets from Cornish. Even if those spaces are upgraded, it may be many years before that happens. There is also the chance that one of those spaces, at Seattle Center, will not be available for SU’s use as it is a union shop and SU is not.
The building is an architectural gem, and as an architect, I would say it is second in quality only to the Chapel and the new science building on the University’s campus.
Demolishing a perfectly functional and very high-quality building is contrary to the stewardship and environmental ethos of the University and to those of the community and City, and is contrary to the language and goals of the Master Plan. The renovated building is less than 20 years old and in good condition.
The theater’s scene shop and other spaces could prove to be excellent shared facilities with the new museum’s presentation and preparatory spaces, creating an opportunity for a constructive adaptive use of the facility that could help mitigate costs of the new museum by not needing to replicate those spaces, benefitting both facilities and creating a ‘Seattle University Center for the Arts.’
The Lee Center is an important member of the city-established Capitol Hill Arts District, a coalition of arts groups who are leading the effort to galvanize the arts in the community. Along with neighboring arts institutions like the Photo Center NW, NW Film Forum, 12th Ave Arts and SAAS, these groups form the spine of the district along 12th.
Feit hopes that the community, faculty, staff, students, and people who live in the neighborhood will attend this meeting and voice their perspectives.
“They’re the ones most impacted by this. Any actions we do take as a committee would be bolstered by a vigorous community engagement [at this meeting].”
Feit says that the committee will need to educate itself about city processes as they figure out what actions are available to them. They have not yet planned how they’ll engage with the University. But he has two goals: advocate for thoughtful reuse of the Lee Center and get more transparency from Seattle U.
He is not opposed to the museum itself. “Everyone’s very excited and wishes for great success for the project”.
“The museum will be a great addition to the city.”
But, as a former architect, he wonders if there may be a way to incorporate the Lee Center into the new building.
“Demolishing it seems short sighted,” he said. “[The building has] valuable assets that are rewarding to the performing arts community, but could also be valuable to the museum itself.”
He hopes for some “symbiosis” between the museum and the performing arts center that could lower the museum’s cost, allowing the university to avoid rebuilding facilities the Lee Center may already have, while preserving the Lee Center spaces that students and faculty love.
Besides the loss of that space, Seattle U students and faculty are frustrated about how they found out about the decision to get rid of it. They claim that higher administration and the board made the call with “absolutely no input from us, the experts of performance spaces, and professionals in our Seattle arts community.”
Feit hears those complaints and has his own questions about how Seattle U has talked about the development process.
“They’ve made shockingly quick progress since November,” he said.
That’s when, during their annual meeting with the University, the IAC formally heard about the SUMA project for the first time.
“They gave the committee the impression that they weren’t very far along in the process.” Feit thought it’d be 6-9 months before there was anything material to discuss.
But then came Seattle U’s announcement that unveiled an already-designed building that would replace the Lee Center.
CHS reported here on the plans last month. The new museum will be designed by Tom Kundig of Seattle’s Olson Kundig and Sellen Construction will serve as the contractor. Two years of construction are planned with a grand opening slated for fall of 2028.
“It left myself as well as several other committee members just scratching our heads,” Feit said.
“It would have been nice if the University would have shared other options earlier,” he said. It’d have been more “in the spirit of building a partnership with the community” for Seattle U to have talked with the public before going too far down this road.
It’s that spirit of partnership that the IAC is meant to advocate for. They don’t have official say on whether Seattle U’s plans can move forward. Feit is fine with that: “It would be strange and not appropriate [for the IAC interfere with the museum’s progress]. It’s not up to the public to say they can or cannot build these buildings.”
But a push for open communication and due consideration of the Lee Center’s value is on the menu. Community members who would like to learn more about the plans or share their feedback are welcome at the April 22nd meeting. It will run from 6 PM to 8 PM in Seattle University’s Admissions & Alumni Building. You can learn more about the IAC here.
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The NFC West is a crowded mess, with three of the NFL’s best teams vying for both the division crown and the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
And it just got messier.
The 49ers’ win over the Colts on Monday night improves their record to 11-4, tying them with the Rams and putting both teams one game behind the 12-3 Seahawks.
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What does it mean for Seattle? I’ll be using The Athletic’s 2025 Playoff Simulator to navigate through the next two weeks…
First, the basics. What’s next for these three teams?
The 49ers have two at home. They host the 11-4 Chicago Bears (the league’s leader in takeaways and coming off back-to-back wins) for Sunday Night Football and then host the Seahawks. The date and time on that one is TBD, usually settled late Week 17, but it’s a favorite to be another primetime matchup.
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The Seahawks have two on the road. They head to Carolina to take on a hungry 8-7 Panthers team, also coming off a win, that can clinch the NFC South for the first time in a decade with a victory and a Bucs’ loss to the Dolphins. Then the Seahawks head to Santa Clara to face the 49ers.
The Rams have the easiest slate, facing two teams already eliminated from the postseason. They head to play the 6-9 Falcons and then host the 3-12 Cardinals in the regular-season finale.
What are the Seahawks’ current odds of clinching the No. 1 seed?
The Seahawks entered Monday with 53% odds to clinch the No. 1 seed. There’s not a big hit from the 49ers’ win: Seattle’s odds dip to 48%, but are still the highest of the three (49ers at 27% and the Rams at 11% before games are played this upcoming Sunday).
The only thing eliminated by virtue of the 49ers’ win was the Seahawks’ ability to clinch the top seed this Sunday.
If all three NFC West teams win in Week 17, the Seahawks’ odds are right where they were: 53%. That’s how monumental Week 18’s game against the 49ers is.
Best-case scenario in Week 17: Easy. The Seahawks are the only team of the three to win this Sunday. Their odds would jump to 74%. They get the No. 1 seed one of two ways after that: beat the 49ers, or lose to the 49ers + a Lions win over the Bears.
Worst-case scenario in Week 17: The Seahawks lose, while the Rams and 49ers win. Seattle’s odds would drop to 7%. But they’re not done; in this scenario, they could still get the top seed with a win over the 49ers + a Cardinals win over the Rams.
How would the Rams clinch? The Rams’ loss to the Seahawks last Thursday night took L.A. out of the driver’s seat. The Rams’ simplest path is to: win out + the Seahawks and 49ers lose one game each + the Lions beat the Bears. The Rams need the Seahawks to lose to make up for the one-game lead, and need the Bears to lose to win a tiebreaker (conference record).
What else should we know?
Oh, that’s right, the Bears.
There’s another team here still fighting for the top seed. Chicago’s Saturday night comeback win over the Packers wasn’t just a thriller; it also added some new playoff implications.
The Bears are currently the No. 2 seed. But they have a better conference record than both the Rams and the Seahawks, so keeping a game ahead is massive.
Again, all Seattle has to do is win out. It doesn’t matter what any other team does if that happens. But things become tricky if Seattle drops a game.
In that case, if the Seahawks lose to the Panthers, root for the Lions and Cardinals. And always root against your NFC West foes.
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The team announced a one-year contract with the free agent on Monday afternoon. The contract is worth $6.25 million with a potential extra $250,000 in incentives, according to Boston Red Sox reporter Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.
Refsnyder, 34, played 70 games in 2025 for Boston, finishing with 1.2 fWAR. At the plate, he hit .269 with a strong .354 on-base percentage and .838 OPS. He had nine home runs, 12 doubles, 30 RBIs and three stolen bases.
“Rob has been one of the most productive hitters against left-handed pitching over the last four seasons and provides balance and impact offensively to our lineup,” Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said in a press release. “We are excited to welcome Rob and his family to the Mariners.”
Refsnyder hit .302 against lefties with a .399 on-base and .560 slugging last season. Seven of his nine homers and nine of his 12 doubles came against lefties, which he faced 138 times as opposed to 71 plate appearances against right-handed pitching.
Born in South Korea, Refsnyder attended Laguna Hills High School in California and played in college at Arizona. He was a fifth-round pick in the 2012 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees.
The 6-foot, 215-pound Refsnyder is a 10-year MLB veteran, having spent time with the Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins and Red Sox. He had been with the Red Sox for each of the past four seasons.
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Rick Steves taking a selfie with community members outside the Lynnwood Hygiene Center near Seattle. He says his purchase of the property secures the future of the center, which provides hot meals and hot showers.
Rick Steves
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Rick Steves
An anonymous donor stepped in last month to save a Seattle-area community center that was slated to close.
Last week, community members learned that the new owner was travel writer and TV host Rick Steves, who pledged to keep it open and free for people needing hot showers and hot meals.
“I vividly remember what it’s like as a kid backpacking around the world to need a shower, to need a place to wash your clothes,” Steves told a crowd who gathered on Wednesday to celebrate the purchase over cake and with words fait accompli written in red icing.
Many homeless people had come to depend on the Lynnwood Hygiene Center, which had operated rent-free on the property since 2020.
But the center said in November that it would close after the property was sold to a developer.
Steves said he learned about the hygiene center’s impending closure by reading about it in a local online newspaper — just weeks before it was set to shut down.
Despite living nearby, he said he hadn’t even known the center existed.
In fact, Steves told NPR he didn’t even know what a hygiene center was until he read about the closure — a place where people can shower, wash clothes, grab a hot meal and spend a few hours indoors.
“I realized, oh my goodness, there’s an invisible community with an invisible center helping invisible people. And it’s not right. It needs to be kept alive,” Steves said.
In a series of posts on Bluesky, Steves said was struck by how difficult it would be to replace.
Steves said he bought the property for $2.25 million.
Members of the community pitched in another $400,000 in donations, which the center says will go toward renovations and expanding services.
“It’s huge,” said Sandra Mears, executive director of the Jean Kim Foundation, which runs the hygiene center.
Mears says before Steves came in, she had been told to plan a goodbye party.
“I didn’t want a goodbye party,” she said.
Thanks to the donations, Mears says the Lynnwood Hygiene Center will continue serving around 700 people in the community, providing upwards of 16,000 hot meals and 10,000 showers a year.
Steves called the purchase the best $2.25 million he could imagine spending.
But he says private donations are also not a substitute for public investment — and shouldn’t determine whether essential services survive.
He describes his decision as a response to what he sees as a failure of public priorities, not a model to be relied upon.
“If we don’t have [$2.25 million] for a whole county to give homeless people a shower and a place to get out of the rain and a place to wash their clothes, what kind of society are we?” Steves said.
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