Recreation

February 17, 2022 – The League of WWI Aviation Historians

Photograph of magazine cover WWI Navy seaplane hangar found in Seattle. Read the full article here.

December 8, 2021 – UW Insider

Photograph of 1936 mens rowing team UW Staff and Faculty Insider features the upcoming The Boys in the Boat movie and the ASUW Shell House capital campaign project.

October 2021 – Indigenous Walking Tour and ASUW Shell House with Washington Rowing

A photograph of people standing in front of the Burke Museum A photograph of people standing in the Intellectual House

With students back on campus, our athletes from Washington Rowing learned about Indigenous stories and places with Owen Oliver, a recent UW graduate. Students visited the Burke Museum, Intellectual House and the ASUW Shell House.

Pictures from Owen Oliver on Instagram.

August 2021 – Northwest Yachting Magazine Feature: Olympic Dreams

Image of the cover of Northwest Yachting magazine The Shell House has been featured in the latest issue from Northwest Yachting Magazine! Read the full issue, as well as the article on the Shell House.

June 2021 – Robin Layton Supports the Shell House with New Book

Image of the cover of 'the lake' The beauty of Seattle’s waterways link us all together – and local photographer, Robin Layton’s latest coffee table book of photography, ‘the lake‘, captures the seasons of Lake Washington in vivid color and movement. From rowers, to dogs, to ducks – to the fog that greets us early in the morning – this book celebrates the simple wonders that spoil us here. As a fan of the ASUW Shell House, Robin has generously donated a portion of her book sales towards our campaign. If you would like to own or give own of these limited edition, signed and numbered books, and support the campaign, simply write ASUW on the notes at checkout. Purchase ‘the lake’ on Robin Layton’s website.

February 2021 – The ASUW Shell House from above

Aerial photograph of the Shell House Enjoy these aerial shots and video of the Shell House and Montlake Cut. Courtesy of Clay Eals and Jean Sherrard.

January 2021 – The UW through an Indigenous lens

Photograph of Owen Oliver standing in front of the Burke Museum Owen Oliver has been involved in several projects at the UW, including the Shell House, Burke Museum, and others. Read more about his work and experience at the UW in this recent article from the College of Arts & Sciences.

December 21, 2020 – Remembering Georgeana Szikszoy

Photograph of Georgeana Szikszoy We offer our condolences to the Szikszoy family after the passing of Georgeana “Charis” Szikszoy this past December. Her parents, Stan and Esther “Jack” Clark, were instrumental to the Shell House from 1956 to 1971, when it was known as the university’s “Old Canoe House.” Charis helped the family run the canoe rental business that operated out of the Shell House, an era that was beloved by many. Read her obituary on the Seattle Times.

December 2020 – 2020 Newsletter

Image of the 2020 newsletter Read our 2020 Newsletter, which compiles all of our campaign’s stories, events, news, and progress from this year!

September 8, 2020 – SHPO Awards announced

Image of the SHPO Awards announcement The ASUW Shell House and Nicole Klein have been awarded the State Historic Preservation Officer committee’s awards for Historic Preservation Planning this year! This award is presented to individuals or organizations who lay the groundwork in protecting and preserving cultural and historical treasures. The other award winners and our campaign video can be found on the Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation website.

August 2020 – Montlake Cut named to Rowing News’ Top 10 North American Rowing Venues

Our very own Montlake Cut was named to Rowing News’ Top 10 list of rowing venues in North America. From the several races held by Washington Rowing to the annual Opening Day, the Montlake Cut is a beautiful place to enjoy rowing, boating, and the outdoors. Check out the top ten list on Rowing News Facebook page.

July 2020 – Congratulations Graduates!

Congratulations to our student graduates and the passion and talent they have lent to this important project!

Photograph of Alex Chen Alex Chen
BA Interdisciplinary Visual Arts & Video Arts – you know him as our incredible videographer whose talent and creativity made our latest campaign video and is ready to share his gift with the world! Thank you, Alex! – Alex’s LinkedIn

 

 

Photograph of Brooke McCulloch Brooke McCulloch
MA Museology – Brooke was drawn to this project in many ways – a rower at Seattle U an undergraduate, now at LWRC (both have roots at the ASUW Shell House) and as a volunteer at the Center for Wooden Boats. Her thesis entitled, “Connecting Community to History: A Framework for Permanent Exhibits at the ASUW Shell House” created a deliverable to share some of the many areas of the building and its future storytelling with donors and our future design and contractor team. Please enjoy reading her compelling exhibit framework narrative. – Brooke’s LinkedIn

 

Photograph of Emma Jane 'EJ' Opsal Emma Jane ‘EJ’ Opsal
MA Museology – completed her graduate thesis by interviewing a handful of our board members and a robust literature review to create a “Decision Making Toolkit for the ASUW Shell House at stəx̌ʷugʷił”. EJ understood the complex nature of the project and its many stakeholders. Her toolkit gives the framework for how our board and linked leadership could help tackle the big questions that lie ahead.

 

Photograph of Kelty Pierce Kelty Pierce
BA Communication, Minors in Drama & Diversity – as our ASUW President – Kelty brought deep passion and commitment to the project under her leadership. She also joined us in Olympia on our 7AM presentation to the Heritage Caucus which helped us to secure a $100,000 capital gift in March! She is now the Campaign Manager at Denny Heck for Lt Governor. – Kelty’s LinkedIn

 

Photograph of Krista Doersch Krista Doersch
MA Landscape Architecture – completed her thesis entitled “Pier Pressure – Addressing Ecological Opportunities of Nearshore Infrastructure in Lake Washington’s Union Bay”. In her research she examined the waterfront and shoreline bordering the shell house and adjacent marina to redesign and improve for not just safety and beauty, but also for ecological improvement. She also served on the UBRC Rowing team as captain, and helped me in any many of our events over the last two years. – Krista’s LinkedIn

 

Photograph of Owen Oliver Owen Oliver
Owen will be graduating next year, 2021 in American Indian Studies and Political Science but wanted to share the transformative and important work that he is a part of. We first met because he is a member of the Oliver Canoe family (the Willapa Spirit resting in the ASUW Shell House) among many other leadership roles for campus and community he is the Secretary of Youth Advisory Board for the Center for Native American Youth. Owen writes to share that, “The Indigenous Futures Project (IFP) is a joint project between the Center for Native American Youth, IllumiNative, and the Native Organizers Alliance to gather and disseminate critical information and strategies about the priorities and needs of Native communities in preparation for the 2020 election. The keystone of this project is the Indigenous Futures Survey (IFS)- the first survey in Indian Country that provides an opportunity for all Native peoples to be a part of shaping our future, offering a platform for understanding critical issues impacting Indian Country that can be used to motivate change.” – Owen’s LinkedIn

June 28, 2020 – In Memoriam: Patricia M. Pocock Van Mason

Photograph of Patricia M. Pocock Van Mason Patricia Pocock Van Mason passed away on June 13, 2020 at the age of 94, the beloved mother of our own board member, Katie Kusske. Patricia was George Pocock’s last surviving child, and leaves behind many lasting memories with her family and friends. To read more about her life and legacy, visit the Seattle Times obituary.

June 26, 2020 – And the winner of the Seattle Times’ best sports moments bracket is…

Image of Best Sports Moment announcement The 1936 Olympic Crew was voted ‘Biggest Seattle Sports Memory’ in last week’s Seattle Times. Thank you all for voting and helping to keep this incredible victory in the forefront of our community!

May 1st, 2020 – Mossback’s Northwest: When the ‘boys in the boat’ raced Swinomish paddlers

Awesome article by Knute Berger and video by Stephen Hegg put together by Crosscut and KCTS9. Read about and watch the story of Washington Rowing racing against Swinomish paddlers.

March 26, 2020 – Seattle Now & Then Feature

Photograph of the Boys in the Boat family Photograph of the 1936 mens rowing team

The Seattle Times featured a new article written by Clay Eals about the history and future of the Shell House, along with pictures of the original 1936 team and their families today. Read the Seattle Times feature as well as the extended version on the Seattle Now & Then blog.

March 2020 – Alaska Beyond Feature

Image of the cover of Alaska Beyond magazine The Alaska Beyond Magazine has featured the ASUW Shell House and the Boys of 1936 Tours in their March 2020 edition. Click here to read (on page 135)

January 31, 2020 – Thank you Bill Walton!

Photograph of Bill Walton Photograph of Bill Walton Photograph of Bill Walton

Photograph of Bill Walton Photograph of Bill Walton

Honored to have former NBA Star, Bill Walton visit the ASUW Shell House this past week, along with Boys in the Boat author, Daniel James Brown and Washington Rowing Historian, Eric Cohen. Bill is a huge Boys in the Boat fan! Thanks for stopping by and supporting the Shell House!

Clip from the Arizona vs. Washington Men’s Basketball game and Bill’s own words on the Shell House and the Boys of ’36!


October 2019 – Launching the Coast Salish s.dəxʷìł canoe: Stories from the Burke Museum

The traditional Native canoe that resides in the ASUW Shell House has a vivid past! Read more about the story and the many people that had a hand its revival on the Burke Museum’s website. (Photo: Rachel Ormiston/Burke Museum)

Additional news items

The University of Washington acknowledges the Coast Salish people of the lands and waters where the ASUW Shell House rests — land that touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations.