MUKILTEO — The latest incarnation of Rosehill is ready to open its doors.
Work is far from finished on the outdoor plaza and landscaping, but the 29,000-square-foot community center with sweeping views of the Puget Sound is ready to please crowds during a ceremony planned for Saturday.
The two-story, $12.9 million center in Old Town Mukilteo is a state-of-the-art mixture of wood, concrete and glass. Visitors can relax in a lounge area with a fireplace, known as the Rosehill Room, or hang out in the game room, whose wooden floor came from the old building’s gym. The building is equipped with wireless Internet throughout, Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine said. Treadmills in the small fitness center face the full-length windows. Several classrooms and meeting spaces throughout the building are available for paid reservations.
The main auditorium has a stage and glass windows, and the ceilings are at least 25 feet high. More than 40 weddings already have been booked there, Marine said.
Officials hope the new center, operated by the Recreation and Cultural Services Department, will bring revenue to the city and give a boost to local businesses.
“There’s no other place in the county like this,” Marine said. “We have a much better opportunity for our businesses to get the spin-off from that.”
The fate of the old building was decided after more than 10 years of bitter debate. City officials and community groups were split down the middle about whether to remodel or rebuild Rosehill.
The new building rises where the original Rosehill school once stood. Mukilteo’s first, wooden schoolhouse was built in 1893. It burned down in 1928 and was replaced with a new Rosehill. That building served as a school until 1970s and later became a community center. It was demolished in December.
To honor Rosehill’s history, the city wants to incorporate elements from the archway that served as an entrance to the old building.
The arch would have been an entryway to the outdoor plaza, scheduled to open in March. The way the arch was built called for major changes and made it difficult to incorporate the entire structure in the new building’s design.
The old Rosehill held the memories of many generations, but it was time to let the old building go, said Tude Richter, an 85-year-old Mukilteo native.
“Rosehill was the hub of the whole community when we were growing up,” she said.
She still remembers the hallways and classrooms of the Rosehill School, where she was a student. She recognized her old school while attending Mukilteo Historical Society meetings in the Rosehill Community Center.
The new building shows that many people in the city wanted a new beginning, said John Petroff, a member of the Mukilteo Historical Society.
“We saw it as an opportunity for our generation to create a mark on the community,” Petroff said.
Join the fun
The grand opening of the new Rosehill Community Center is planned from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday at 304 Lincoln Ave., Mukilteo. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned, along with building tours, food and entertainment.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
