Upper Fremont at 43rd
On the #5 bus line and short walk to E line
4272 Fremont Ave North
Seattle, WA 98103
AND SPECIAL THANKS TO:
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is to curate welcoming arts & cultural experiences where people of all ages and incomes can explore and grow.
Abbey Arts focuses on local music, contemporary dance, visual art, spoken word, and storytelling. Formats include multi-arts collaborative performances like The Round, intimate close-up concerts, new dance performances with live music, community gatherings like The Moth storytelling event, dance classes, plus a variety of workshops and artistic life celebrations.
For more about our events style, click here.
For Portland Abbey Arts, click here.
If interested in joining the “New Abbey Movement” or starting The Round in your town, visit www.LonelyBuildings.com.
a nonprofit arts organization presenting and curating creative events at unusual spaces around Seattle and at our home venue, Fremont Abbey Arts Center.
We aim to create accessible and welcoming experiences where people can learn & develop through education & performance in many different art mediums. Striving to be a community driven, volunteer powered organization, the Abbey is a comfortable space where a wide variety of people from different income levels, skills, ethnicities & backgrounds interact. Both art students & the general public experience high quality performances by artists from Seattle and around the world. Abbey Arts programs are non-religious and all are welcome.
the Fremont Abbey is a home for creative community.
A beautiful 100 year old brick church building (originally St Paul’s Lutheran) that went from being vacant in the late 90’s, to being a temporary shelter, and then undergoing major renovations in late 2007. Funded by Church of the Apostles who took on the building in 2005, major renovations work finished in March of 2008 and was celebrated with a Grand Re-opening party. Ongoing improvements continue each year, often powered by volunteer teams and local supporters. Abbey Arts Director, Nathan Marion (LonelyBuildings.com), managed the renovation & “greening of the Abbey” project 2006-2008 including final designs & interiors.
{Current Green Need: Want to help support the building with a donation towards our efficiency and greening progress? We’re currently looking for $3500 to “Put a Stocking Cap on the Abbey” – which means we need to insulate the attic to reduce heating costs, and also provide a cooler space in the summer without AC. This will help support a wide variety of events and gatherings here and help us reduce our carbon footprint as well.}
Before (2005) // After (2009)
More about the Renovation Project:
A broad base of support from many volunteers from the nearby community made it all possible along with major donations of materials and labor from Belfor, Hermanson, Gary Luke (painter), and other contractors. Approximately $50-80k value was added to the project via volunteer hours and in-kind product & service donations. Architectural plans developed by Vandervort Architects with initial design work supervised by Karen Ward & Ryan Marsh.
And of course special thanks goes to Church of the Apostles (COTA), the young progressive church with Lutheran & Episcopal roots who bought the building in 2005 and invited the Arts Center to manage the building and curate community activities Monday-Saturday. The Arts Center is a separate nonprofit entity and COTA only asks us to pay our share of the ongoing building expenses. Since we are fulfilling a portion of their mission to serve the community, they do not charge the Arts Center market rate rents.
2007 RENOVATIONS PHOTO SLIDESHOW
This unique new model of sharing a beautiful old building means you know your donations are going to support programs at the Arts Center and helping to grow our important community work (not to a corporate entity charging high rents for a space in such a busy part of Seattle).
is providing a space for both instruction & performance opportunities in a beautifully restored historic building. We encourage 100’s of developing artists from 1 years old to 81 years and older! We strive for collaboration and multi-arts events (like The Round), concerts, dance events, storytelling series like The Moth, community workshops, and more.
Our unique location in the center of Seattle & low operation costs allows audiences to attend events & performances that are accessible for all ages, incomes, and skill levels. The Fremont Abbey also fulfills the Fremont Neighborhood Plan’s directive to have a community Arts Center. We pull in people from many other neighborhoods who do not have Arts Centers such as Ballard, Greenwood, U-District, and Wallingford as we are currently the only remaining community arts center in all of North Seattle (as far as we know). We also provide space for local nonprofits and artist groups to create exciting new events and programs, not to mention lots of benefit auctions and events!
is achieved in part through being community driven and volunteer powered with a small staff. We also partner with existing non-profits & neighborhood teachers. In addition, we’ve renovated & re-purposed an old 1914 building to encompass a myriad of uses so our carbon footprint is very low. It’s an ongoing process, but we’ve built in various “green” elements as well with efficient furnaces, lighting, insulation, as well as green cleaning supplies, toilet paper, composting, etc. We even require events to reduce their waste and compost/recycle.
See a list of local organizations we’ve supported & hosted at the Abbey here.
Through our community membership program, we also allow the space to be used for weddings, receptions, and events which fund our staffing, supplies, rent and building costs. We work hard to set a good example for sustainability on the Environmental side as well by using natural handmade cleaning supplies, efficient heaters, insulation, composting, recycling, reduced waste, and more.
for everyone is encouraged and The Abbey does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin. Freedom of expression & creativity is encouraged within the boundaries of respect for all peoples.
No violence, hate speech, verbal or physical assault or other abuse will be permitted by anyone on the premises. We reserve the right to refuse service to any customer who’s presence in the Abbey detracts from the safety, welfare, and well-being of other patrons.
We are prohibited from renting to or hosting groups, organizations, or individuals whose teachings and/or employment practices are discriminatory based on age, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, class, or sexual orientation.
We are an all ages venue for public events. Some events may be labeled or rated (ie. PG-13, etc.) so parents will be aware of potential content.
is a program to help low income families and nonprofit workers be able to consistently experience arts events, concerts, and more. We offer free tickets and scholarships through our wide nonprofit network. Read more…
your community Arts Center today! Click to our DONATE page to make an ongoing monthly or one-time donation.
are a critical part of our operation. We hope you’ll join us! This is a great way to get involved on many levels, whether helping with events & concerts or volunteering around the Abbey during the weekdays on projects, teaching classes, cleaning, maintenance, carpentry, design, admin, or even joining the Board of Directors.
This website is funded in part by the City of Seattle, Department of Information Technology