December 12, 2023

Mithun/Sellen team wins job of restoring ‘Boys in the Boat' shell house for UW

Photo from ASUW Shell House Facebook page [enlarge]

The shell house is along the Montlake Cut.

The University of Washington has selected the design-build team of Mithun Architects and Sellen Construction to restore the historic “Boys in the Boat” Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW) Shell House on the Montlake Cut. The over-century-old structure, which is located at the southeast corner of the university's Seattle campus, is the historic home of the UW rowing program and was once the training ground for the gold-medal-winning 1936 and 1948 U.S. men's Olympic rowing teams.

The 1936 team surprised the world when they stormed to victory at the Berlin Olympics, beating both the Italian and German teams who were frontrunners for the gold medal. Their story, and the significance of the shell house, was immortalized in 2013 in Daniel James Brown's bestselling book “The Boys in the Boat.” The book has since been turned into a film, directed by George Clooney, which is set to be released on Dec. 25.

The adaptive reuse of the existing 13,000-square-foot shell house comprises the preservation and historically sensitive reimagining of an original 1918 structure. Mithun and Sellen will work closely with the university to achieve its vision of transforming the building into a new student and community gathering and events space/living museum that celebrates and commemorates the history of the building and of UW rowing.

For many years, the shell house contained the workshop of prolific boat builder George Pocock, who built the racing shell that carried the 1936 team to victory. The adaptive reuse plan includes a reactivation of his workshop within the restored space. Work will also address code-related improvements required by a change in occupancy from a storage facility to assembly occupancy, and program-related enhancements.

Photo from the Ronald K. Edge Collection, via ASUW [enlarge]

The structure was the home of University of Washington rowing teams from 1919 to 1949.

The successful design-build team was selected from a pool of 13 applicants. Of those, three were chosen as finalists. The other two final teams were GLY Construction/Miller Hull and Lydig Construction/SHKS Architects. Lydig and SHKS previously worked with the university on a validation study and early conceptual renderings for the project.

According to DJC records, the design-build contract is an estimated $10.8 million. The shell house renovation is funded via a successful capital campaign. According to ASUW's website, $17.8 million has been raised to date. The total fundraising goal is $18.5 million. Donors include Microsoft, King County, and the National Park Service.

A representative from ASUW previously told the DJC that permitting and final design for the project should take around two years and construction around one year, meaning the reimagined shell house should open sometime in 2026.

In a social media post announcing its selection, Sellen said, “We couldn't be more excited to work with UW and our partners at Mithun to bring this project to life!”

“We are excited to join Sellen and the University of Washington in this iconic project that connects to so many layers of our regional and national history, with a goal to create a vibrant student and community resource for the future,” Rich Franko FAIA, partner at Mithun, told the DJC.

The shell house was originally built by the U.S. Navy as a seaplane hangar to be used during World War I. From 1919 to 1949, it was the home of the University of Washington rowing team and then of the sailing team from 1950 to 1975. Most recently, it has been used as storage space. The building was the first UW property to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places (in 1975) and the first UW building to become a Seattle Landmark (in 2018).

Clooney shot the majority of “The Boys in the Boat” in London. A full replica of the ASUW Shell House was built on the banks of the River Thames for the film.