Magnuson Park’s Building 2, a large undeveloped building built at the former naval air station, could become a giant fortress for film production, a sports arena, or a large open space for something else entirely. It all depends on proposals Seattle Parks and Recreation receives, having earlier this month published a public Request for Proposals (RFP) for the renovation and operation of the 144,000-square-foot double hangar known as Building 2.
Home to large feature film productions in the 1990s including Assassins and Stephen King’s Rose Red, and home to Arena Sports in the 2000s, the building recently underwent several safety upgrades and is now ready for rehab. Since closing its doors to filmmaking, Washington State implemented Washington Filmworks and the Washington State Film Competitiveness Program which supports the film industry by attracting feature film and commercial film production.
“Our competitors all have soundstages,” said Kate Becker to a Seattle Times reporter in this article. “This is the largest publicly held open-span building north of L.A. This is an opportunity we need to pay attention to.”
The complete Seattle Parks & Recreation Request for Proposal is online here.