Seattle Press on Line - New Event Space Found

Fremont

New Event Space Found

Dwayne Edwards in the new FUNC space.

Jun 13, 2001 -- The former Red Hook keg house--a small warehouse at the Canal and Phinney Avenue N--is being transformed into the Fremont Unconventional Center (FUNC), a bare-bones, decorate-it-yourself dance hall/party space/banquet hall that will offer special rates for non-profit organizations.

Dwayne Edwards, president of Fremont software firm Digital Alchemy, was looking for a place to hold a birthday party for a colleague. Sitting around the a table in the Trolleyman pub one night, he told friends he wanted someplace "funky, a place we can decorate ourselves," but there wasn't much available.

Land owner Suzie Burke offered the use of one of her recent acquisitions, the Red Hook keg house--which could be described as a dark green, 60,000 cubic foot walk-in refrigerator. "It was perfect," Edwards said. So perfect, in fact, that he formed a non-profit corporation to lease the space from Burke and convert it to a new community-oriented use.

"Most non-profits can't afford the downtown hotels and convention halls when they want to hold a big event for 50 to 200 people," Edwards said. "This space is perfect for that need."

The warehouse will be kept pretty much as-is, with its 20-foot-high ceilings and heavily insulated metal-clad walls. "People can do anything they want here, " Edwards enthused. "Paint the floor, hang things on the walls and from the ceiling, set up a stage...."

FUNC will have chairs and tables and a sound system. A new bathroom has to be built, and a doorway is being enlarged on the canal street side to take advantage of canal and park views. A truck loading area will be converted to a deck. But basically, the building will be unchanged.

Edwards expects that half of FUNC's users will be non-profit groups, and half will be private companies and individuals paying market rate for the rental space. He said there are 16,000 non-profit organizations in King County. "Any group that wants to have a function for 50 people or more is a potential user," he said.

The grand opening of the Fremont UNconventional Centre (FUNC), 160 North Canal, will be held Saturday, June 16th, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., following the Fremont Solstice Parade.

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