About
FAQ's
Where is the Fremont Abbey?
In the growing residential/commercial neighborhood of Upper Fremont Village, minutes from downtown Seattle and right on the #5 bus line. We are on the corner of 43rd & Fremont Avenue North across from Cafe Vita / Via Tribunali and next to Uneeda Burger. Our mailing address is: 4272 Fremont Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98103. Come visit us!
Where do I park?
FREE street parking abounds (2hr before 6pm in some areas of Fremont Ave), PLEASE DO NOT PARK ON 43rd as a favor to our neighbors. [Full lot rental available for weddings]. Just up the hill is Marketime and American Music and they welcome your patronage. American Music's lot is also available after hours, 6pm SAT, 7pm M-F, 5pm SUN, stop in and support them too!
When are you open?
We do not yet have the staffing to be open regular hours but we are open for events and can schedule a time for you to take a tour if interested in renting the Abbey. Our office is often open M/W/F in the afternoons but please email/call before stopping by to confirm.
Fremont Music School is generally here MONDAY-THURSDAY from about 3-8pm but they do not have a secretary so it's also best to call them - 206-36-MUSIC
Do monks live there? Why is it called the Fremont Abbey?
Historically Abbeys have been places of community gatherings offering safety and comfort as well as interaction with food, many forms of art, and good community interaction & dialogue.
So even though it's now a multi-use community arts center, it is obviously an old church building, so the name just stuck! But no monks live here and you do not need to wear burlap or shave your head in order to attend an event. We encourage people of all walks of life to take part in activities at the Abbey.
So is it still a church?
Good question! Here's our brief as possible answer...
Originally built in 1914 as St. Paul's Lutheran (organized in 1911), that congregation dwindled in the late 90's and left the building to combine forces with St John's United up on Phinney Ridge. The building was then used by the Compass Center from 2001-2005 as a temporary homeless shelter while their new building was being built downtown.
In 2005 it was purchased by Church of the Apostles (COTA), a Lutheran & Episcopal blended young church. The Lutheran's (ELCA) Mission Investment Fund (MIF) extended COTA a loan for the building purchase and renovations.
From the very beginning, founding pastor Karen Ward and the COTA community desired that their building be used by the community in an artistic and welcoming way so it is now curated by "Artwerks DBA Fremont Abbey" (that's us!). Karen even started the 501c3 nonprofit back in the day but was happy to see Nathan Marion become the first Executive Director and let him (along with the independent Board of Directors) lead the organization to the place it is today as part of Seattle's incredible Arts & Culture scene.
So yes, we are a completely separate nonprofit 501c3 (non-religious) that leases/shares the building. COTA does still meet in the Abbey on Sundays at 5pm and occasionally other specified times through the year (ie. Easter, Fat Tuesday, etc) but in it's default form the building is used for arts & community events, classes, etc. They put away all their icons and other items each week.
COTA is very generous in supporting the use of the building for community events and arts educational experiences and Fremont Abbey only has to pay it's share of the building expenses. Thanks!
So does anyone censor the art there, or will they preach at me after the show?
We have a general Respect Policy as an all ages community venue but we don’t censor the artists who perform here. We put a 'rating' on some all-ages events that involve performers who use adult language. No preaching occurs here except maybe on a Sunday at 5pm if you attend a COTA service. They are a progressive church of young creative types though and are not likely what you'd expect from a typical "church". Oh, and I suppose some slam poets might sound like a preacher once in a while!
But either way, The Abbey is an open and welcoming place for everyone willing to work together in a community arts setting.