January 5, 2023

Construction to begin this year on canoe carving center by Lake Union

Architectural sketch by Stephanie Bower from Jones & Jones Architects [enlarge]

Canoes from the carving house will be launched on Lake Union from Goose Beach.

In the coming years you can expect to see Lake Union bustling with beautiful hand-carved indigenous canoes as construction is slated to begin this year on a new native Canoe Carving House at Lake Union Park. The 1,200-square-foot, one-level facility is inspired by traditional indigenous longhouses. It will serve as a space for native carvers and as a visual reminder of the indigenous communities that traditionally called this area home and of their canoe culture.

The carving house will have an internal carving space/workshop, where canoes will also be displayed, and an external covered carving area that overhangs Goose Beach. There will also be a staff workroom and restrooms.

Indigenous-owned and -founded Jones & Jones Architects is designing the carving house. A general contractor is yet to be selected. Seattle Parks and Recreation says construction should begin this fall and take around a year. The project is anticipated to go out to bid in either May or June.

The DJC first reported on the prospect of building a native canoe carving facility at Lake Union Park in 1996 and since then community members, spearheaded by the United Indians of All Tribes, have strived to make it a reality. The carving house is being developed by UIATS, who will be the owner and operator, in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation, which owns the land. It will be sited on the west shore of Lake Union.

The house will be built using large timbers and will have cedar cladding in homage to the architecture of indigenous longhouses. It will also have a sloped living green roof planted with blue camas, and a mix of operable and fixed large glass doors and windows.

Map by Jones & Jones Architects [enlarge]

Map showing the location of the planned Northwest Native Canoe Center campus.

On its website, Parks says the facility will provide insight into distinctive varieties of Native American culture and provide space for an ongoing Native American canoe carving program and storage for canoes that will be hand-launched into the lake during operating hours. Docents will also be on hand to welcome the public into the space and explain the Northwest Native American skills and beliefs used over generations in building canoes. The facility will also be used to host carving demonstrations and classes.

The carving house costs around $4.7 million. Funding comes from Seattle Parks and Recreation, Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Funding, and the state Department of Commerce.

The Canoe Carving House is phase one of a two-building project at Lake Union Park called the Northwest Native Canoe Center. The second phase, which still needs funding to proceed, will be a Welcome House. That will be located across from and within steps of the carving facility. Recent architectural sketches show the buildings share a common design language. The Welcome House is envisioned to include educational displays, a kitchen and an events space. A carved figure is also planned at Goose Beach, acting as a welcome to the canoe center campus.

The Seattle Times reports that the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation will hold a ceremony on Friday to bless the construction of the new Canoe Carving House.