By Theresa Goffredo
Herald Writer
EVERETT — Knowing they would probably lose in the end, the Ancient Scottish Rite of Freemasons agreed to sell their meeting hall to the city to make way for a sports arena and events center.
Their gain is $1 million. Their loss is their 92-year-old building, which will be demolished and replaced by a kitchen and some nice shrubbery.
The compromise deal, struck Tuesday, has the city agreeing to pay $1.015 million for the Scottish Rite Temple at 2935 Oakes Ave., a castlelike structure where the late U.S. Sen. Henry "Scoop" Jackson once attended meetings.
Though they have until March 14 to clear out, the freemasons lamented the loss of their temple Thursday as if mourning the death of a friend.
"I hate to see such a thing of beauty and history torn down," said freemason Allen Lowe, who has attended meetings at the temple two or three times a week for the past 10 years. "We’ve held a lot of things we’ve done in that building dear to our hearts, and we will really miss it."
The deal also signals the end of the freemason’s legal fight with the city over the issue of eminent domain, a law that allows municipalities to condemn property for the public good. The public use in this case is the proposed arena, which is expected to revitalize downtown Everett and provide local entertainment with 8,000 seats for hockey and 10,000 seats for concerts.
But after being advised by a Spokane County judge that the likelihood of winning that argument was remote, the freemasons decided to settle, said freemason secretary Jerry Kunkle.
And there was also hope that the footprint of the hockey arena could be moved 20 feet to save the temple. But as the Everett City Council pursues a redesign of the arena, that option has proved less feasible, said Tom Adams, attorney for the freemasons.
Kunkle never wanted to give up the building. But realistically, he said the freemasons might well have lost their court case and not gotten enough money for their temple to find another home.
"This was the best bargaining position we had," Kunkle said. "In reality, it was in the best interests of the Scottish Rite members, because if we would have lost in court, the city could have come back with their initial offer, which was very low."
The settlement was reached through mediation between the city and the freemasons and presided over by a retired King County judge. The freemasons had their own appraisal of the building done, and the settlement figure came close enough, Adams said.
According to the blueprint, the arena’s kitchen and a landscape buffer will replace the temple, Adams said.
"Their priority was to save the building. It was never to prevent the events center from being built," Adams said. "The opportunity to save the temple was probably not going to present itself."
City officials were also pleased to have another property out of the way. The city is still negotiating prices with several other property owners who own buildings in the two-block area at Hewitt Avenue and Broadway where the hockey arena is to be built.
"This agreement is a fair result based on appraisals by both parties and is consistent with agreements reached with other property owners in the area," city attorney Mark Soine said.
Still, the agreement doesn’t sit well with members of the Everett Historical Commission, who have tried to preserve the temple, which is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and two other historic structures that are listed on the city’s historic register.
"It’s been there almost a 100 years, and the arena won’t even last the lifetime of one of our local high school students, and that’s a sad state of affairs for Everett," said commission member Alisoun Lamb.
You can call Herald Writer Theresa Goffredo at 425-339-3097
or send e-mail to goffredo@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
