City seeks input for Brooklake Master Plan

Where in Federal Way can you attend a church that has also been a restaurant, a community center — and a speakeasy?

At Brooklake, the New Full Gospel Church is only the most recent group in Federal Way to use the space, which has had a varied life for the past 100 years. The building is located at 726 S. 356th St. in Federal Way near the Hylebos Blueberry Farm.

The city is now seeking public input to see what the next chapter will look like for the historic building, the blueberry farm and the surrounding land that joins the West Hylebos Wetlands Park.

At a public meeting on Oct. 29, the parks department revealed three varied visions of possible ways to transform the land. Each was designed to provide very different options, and the final plan could be a combination of everyone’s favorite aspects of each.

All three plans include changes to make parking and bus access easier, with more educational elements and more trails for the public to enjoy. Other possible changes include adding community P-Patches for gardening and a nature play area.

When it comes to the historic building itself, options presented included tearing it down and moving it closer to the other historic Hylebos cabins, or two plans that would keep the building where it is.

In response to the thought of moving it, longtime resident Marie Sciacqua interjected into the presentation saying, “If you move the cabin, you cannot landmark it,” referring to the fact that it could not be designated a historic landmark if it doesn’t stay in its original location.

One other idea is to “expand and adapt the historic cabin into an interpretive center to provide a venue for school groups and families to learn about the environmental and cultural history of the site and the broader region,” according to the draft master plan.

The other idea is to transform the cabin into a peek into the past, restoring it to let visitors step into a restored former version of the building, similar to what has been done with the other historic buildings in the West Hylebos Wetlands Park.

The building has not yet been evaluated to see what will need to be done to make it appropriate for public use.

“There’s obviously only so much that can fit in one structure, so part of their evaluation will be looking at the structural integrity of the building…this being a public building, there’ll be requirements for ADA, accessibility, things that will require, potentially some significant retrofits to this structure,” Jason Gerwen of the parks department said at the meeting.

In addition to the Brooklake Master Plan , the parks department has also been working on a master plan for Steel Lake. This plan is almost finalized.

Longtime resident Diana Noble-Gulliford noted that Francis and Ilene Marckx “lived here, they had cows here, they had an orchard, vegetable garden, they stocked the lake with fish, with trout and they had beehives.” Noble-Gulliford also said that the thought of a center focused on education would align with Ilene’s legacy especially, who was a “self-made naturalist.”

“I’m glad to see this environmental learning, because I think that goes to the heart of what she thought the future could be for Federal Way and the students,” Noble-Gulliford said.

She also added that she hopes there is some collaboration with the Puyallup Tribe due to their historic connection with the land and their partnership on other similar local projects.

More history

Other audience members mentioned several other historic Federal Way figures with connections to the land, and that an in-depth history can be found in the book published by the Historical Society of Federal Way on the building that can be accessed for free online.

The building was built in 1929 as a hunting lodge, then in the 1930s, operated as the Wagon Wheel Inn, then “Ricky’s Club.” In 1939, it was closed because King County labeled it as an “attractive nuisance.”

The building spent a few years during prohibition as an illegal distillery and speakeasy that also acted as a brothel and a place to gamble.

From the early 1940s to the 1960s, it was used extensively as a community center, then after a period of decline between the ‘60s and ‘80s, it was used as a veteran center and a place to provide food to people experiencing homelessness.

In the 1990s, the building was also used as a spot for band practice. Federal Way local Eric Sanden was in one of those bands, called Never Forever. He attended the public meeting to weigh in on the master plan and even brought some photos of the band back in the day.

“We started out playing in our bedroom, but then we got kicked out,” Sanden said. Brooklake was a spot to not only practice, but they also held some shows outdoors.

Sanden said he’s in favor of turning the old building into an educational center.

Throughout the next decade, the building declined as a lack of funds caused a lack of upkeep. On March 18, 2014, that all changed when the property was given to the city of Federal Way.

Those who want to view the proposed concepts and share their written comments to describe their vision of this property’s future can do so at the parks department’s website at www.federalwaywa.gov/page/help-grow-our-parks.

Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror

The New Full Gospel Church is the current occupant of the Brooklake historic building that has had a varied life, including as a restaurant, a speakeasy, a hunting lodge and a community center. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror

Past and present meet as Federal Way community members give feedback on plans for the Brooklake Master Plan and learn about the history of the building at a public meeting on Oct. 29. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror

Mary Ehlis takes notes during public comment at the meeting to discuss possibilities for a Brooklake Master Plan. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror