Saint Edward State Park facts for kids
Saint Edward State Park is a huge park in Kenmore, Washington and Kirkland, Washington. It covers about 316 acres, which is like 240 football fields! This park is part of the Washington State Park System. Long ago, in the 1800s and 1920s, the area was used for cutting down trees. Later, it became a Catholic school for priests before turning into the beautiful state park we know today.
You can find many trails here for bicyclists and hikers. The park's forest is full of tall trees like the Coast Douglas-fir, Western Redcedar, Bigleaf Maple, Pacific Madrone, and Western Hemlock. The ground is covered with many kinds of ferns, especially the Western Sword Fern, along with shrubs and moss. On its west side, the park has a natural beach along Lake Washington. Inside the park, you'll also find the Saint Thomas Center, which is home to Bastyr University.
Contents
What You Can See and Do at the Park
The Historic Seminary Building
Quick facts for kids |
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Saint Edward Seminary
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St. Edward Seminary
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| Nearest city | Kenmore, Washington |
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| Area | 319 acres (129 ha) |
| Architect | Graham, John Sr.; Lance, McGuire & Muri, et al. |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 07000137 |
| Added to NRHP | March 8, 2007 |
The most special part of the park is the Saint Edward Seminary building. It's a very old and important building. It was added to the Washington State Heritage Register in 1997 and the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. This big, historic building has become quite old and needs repairs. You usually can't go inside, but sometimes it's rented out for special events.
Other Fun Park Features
The park has other great facilities too. There's an indoor swimming pool called the Carole Ann Wald Memorial Pool. It was built in the late 1960s. There's also a gymnasium and an outdoor stone area called "the Grotto." Both the gym and the Grotto were built when the seminary first opened in the 1930s.
You can also find a baseball field and a soccer field south of the seminary building. One of the best things for kids is the huge children's playground. It's the biggest playground in Washington state! Local volunteers helped build it in 2003, and it was even named one of the top five playgrounds in the state in 2009.
Saint Edward State Park is only for day visits, so you can't camp there overnight. If you bring your dog, make sure it's on a leash that's 8 feet or shorter, as required by state law.
Groups Helping the Park
There are groups of people who care a lot about Saint Edward State Park. One group is called Citizens for Saint Edward State Park. They work hard to make sure the park stays a great place for outdoor activities like walking and enjoying nature.
Another group, Saint Edward Environmental Learning Center (SEELC), worked to protect the park and offer fun learning experiences. They even put on plays like A Midsummer Night's Dream as part of their programs. These programs helped teach people about the environment.
Park Improvements and Plans
In 2005, Washington State Parks started a project to plan for the park's future. This project looked at how visitors use the park, how to protect its nature and history, and how to use its buildings, fields, and trails.
There was a plan by a company called McMenamins to turn the main seminary building into a hotel and restaurant. But this idea was stopped in 2007 because many people, especially the Citizens for Saint Edward Park group, didn't want it to happen.
The state government gave $500,000 to check the condition of the seminary building. They also gave another $500,000 for important repairs that were needed. With this money, the State Parks started looking for architects to help figure out what could be done with the building.
In 2010, two groups, Friends of Saint Edward State Park and Kenmore Heritage Society, started working together. They planned to put up signs around the park to share its history.
A Look Back: The Park's History
From the 1920s until 1977, the land where Saint Edward State Park is now belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. Starting in 1931, it was used as a school for priests. The Saint Edward Seminary building was built in 1931. Later, the Saint Thomas Seminary was built in 1958, and the pool in 1969.
Because fewer students were joining, the schools closed in 1977. Most of the land was then sold to the state of Washington. The governor at the time, Dixy Lee Ray, supported this sale.
The rest of the land, which includes the Saint Thomas Seminary (now called Saint Thomas Center), stayed with the church until 2005. That's when Bastyr University, which was using the property, bought it.
