I have told you about this a few times now. Most recently here. Now Bothell is on the eve of the big day. McMenamins Anderson School opens to the public tomorrow (Thurs. Oct. 15). This is the company’s largest property in Washington—a hotel, a movie theater, a swimming pool, a brewery, multiple bars, three restaurants, and more. The whole shebang covers a total of five acres. It’s like Disneyland for drinking adults.
Lucky me, I attended a preview event at Anderson School last night. Below I share pictures. For more information about the whole thing, see our previous post. Or just take a gander at the press release below the pictures. I share a lot of information about Anderson School below, not just the pictures. Can you tell I’m excited?
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And the beer? Well, yes they serve the regular McMenamins lineup (Ruby, Hammerhead, etc), but they’re also brewing their own stuff. The Woodshop IPA is the best McMenamins beer I’ve ever had — seriously good. The Bobcat pale ale is also outstanding. More to come, seasonals and one-offs too, we were told by brewer Ben, who previously brewed for Black Raven among others (on the right in the photo above).
This place is wicked cool. They did an amazing job of breathing life into the old Bothell Junior High (aka Anderson School), making it “very McMenamins” but also giving a big nod to the building’s past. As you can imagine, it’s a campus. The woodworking shop is now a sports bar and brewery. The old cafeteria is a proper restaurant and bar, the gym is a movie theater and more, and the main school building has been transformed into a hotel. Between it all, patios and fire pits. And the pool? Well, you gotta see the pool and the tiki bar to believe it. My pictures don’t do it justice.
Here is a map of the property
Here’s what you can expect for food and beverages:
Here is the press release:
McMenamins Welcomes Guests To Transformed Historic Anderson School in Heart of Bothell, Wash.
– Unveils New Hotel, Restaurants, Bars, Brewery, Theater, Pool and Event Space –
Bothell, Wash., Oct. 15, 2015 – McMenamins, a family-owned company known throughout the Pacific Northwest for restoring historic buildings and creating neighborhood gathering spots, opens the revitalized Anderson School today. Located in downtown Bothell, Anderson School is McMenamins’ first Seattle-area hotel and its newest and largest Washington property. The fiveacre entertainment destination features an eclectic mix of three restaurants, two small bars and an art-deco style boutique hotel. Additional on-site attractions include a brewery, a movie theater, gardens and an indoor swimming pool filled with saltwater and surrounded by botanicals and natural light.
Sleep In Class and Drink In Woodshop
In keeping with McMenamins’ creative approach to hospitality, the renovation of the former Bothell Junior High pays homage to the area’s history and includes signature amenities:
- Classrooms have been transformed into 72 hotel rooms with colorfully painted panels and headboards as well as private bathrooms, WiFi and TVs. Each room is unique, featuring stories and original art painted by McMenamins’ resident artists that commemorate the history of the Bothell community and people. The Principal’s Office is now a cozy hotel bar where coffee, breakfast cocktails andpastries are available in the morning while beer, wine and spirits are served in the evening.
- Hotel reception, the primary restaurant, gift shop and a meeting room are located in the school’s original cafeteria building. Tavern on the Square, an upscale café offers marketfresh fare including seafood, local produce and house-made desserts and ice cream. Adjacent to the café is the Erma Olin Room, a private event space.
- The Anderson School Market, the property’s gift shop, features locally-made products and wines as well as McMenamins bottled beer, spirits, wine, glassware, growlers and apparel. The Market also sells pints of house-made ice cream and breakfast pastries.
- The school’s former swimming pool has been refurbished into a South Seas-inspired, tropical saltwater pool surrounded by bamboo paneling. The three-to-five-feet deep pool is open to the public for a fee and available to overnight hotel guests and Bothell residents at no charge.
- The North Shore Lagoon Bar overlooking the saltwater pool features tropical drinks from around the globe and a collection of more than 80 rum varieties. Island-inspired dishes include coconut prawns, Thai pizza, noodle salads and house-made sorbet. Next to the North Shore Lagoon is Wegner’s Garden, an outdoor private event space.
- The Anderson School Brewery and Woodshop pub are nestled inside the school’s original woodworking shop. The 10-barrel copper kettle system, a first for McMenamins, produces seasonal and limited-edition small-batch ales as well as McMenamins’ popular handcrafted brews of Hammerhead, Ruby and Terminator Stout. The Woodshop pub and game room features pool tables, pinball and shuffleboard, and offers traditional McMenamins pub fare. The Thorndike Room, located behind the brewery, is a community space provided for Bothell residents to reserve, and is operated in part by the City of Bothell.
- The new Shed bar is at the heart of the property. This unique space features a two-sided indoor/outdoor fireplace and is surrounded by a pathway created from salvaged bricks found during excavation from the original road. The intimate bar serves whiskey and classic cocktails that are best enjoyed next to the fireplace.
- Outside of the Shed, the courtyard perimeter is decorated in custom metal work and glass-blown lanterns, and features tables and iron fire pits.
- Three multi-purpose event spaces, which can accommodate groups of 10 to 700 guests, and an intimate 134-seat “brew ‘n’ view” movie theater are now housed in the former gymnasium. Featuring the original gymnasium floor, the largest event space, Haynes’ Hall, will be used for weddings, concerts and events. Onsite catering and handcrafted McMenamins beverages are available in the additional event spaces: Andy’s Room and the Patty Murray Room. The movie theater is adorned with movie posters from the Golden Age of Hollywood, giant chandeliers and provides comfortable seating.
- Throughout the property, a variety of eclectic light fixtures from the early 1900s through the 20th century blend to create modern motifs and accent the school’s art-deco architecture.
- Property Chef Mike Davis, formerly of 26brix, Salish Lodge and Joie de Vivre, oversees all kitchens at Anderson School.
“We’re bringing a whole new experience for locals and out-of-town guests, far beyond dining at a restaurant or staying at a boutique hotel. As you wander among the restaurants, bars, theater, game room and community spaces, we hope you’ll see that the transformation of the beloved school and pool is unique and was worth the wait,” said Brian McMenamin.
Location, Location, Location
At the northern end of Bothell’s new revitalization project, McMenamins Anderson School is a part of the final redesign of the city’s downtown core. Located just 20 minutes northeast of downtown Seattle on SR 522 or via I-405, the school’s neighbors include Pop Keeney Stadium and the popular Woodinville wine country, home to more than 90 wineries and tasting rooms.
The city is ideally located to take advantage of the burgeoning tourist draw of the Sammamish River Valley Trail, 38 miles of paved multi-use path stretching from Seattle to Redmond, and Seattle’s booming high-tech industry. Visitors to the region enjoy sailing on Lake Washington, shopping for antiques and unique local gifts, hiking in the nearby Cascade Mountains, and cycling the Burke-Gilman and Sammamish River trails.
Make reservations online or call (425) 398-0122 to inquire about rooms and package rates. Visit us online to book events and meetings.
About McMenamins
McMenamins operates 54 distinctive pubs, restaurants and historic hotels in the Pacific Northwest. Founded by brothers Mike and Brian McMenamin with a single Portland neighborhood pub in 1983, McMenamins today includes nine Washington locations and 45 Oregon properties, 18 on the National Register of Historic Places. McMenamins’ handcrafts its own beer, wine, spirits, cider and coffee and offers an eclectic mix of pubs, hotels, movie theaters, concert venues, spas and events for guests to enjoy. For more information, visit www.mcmenamins.com.
