About
FAQ's
Where is the Fremont Abbey?
In the growing residential/commercial neighborhood of the Fremont Village, minutes from downtown 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 Urban Weeds. Our mailing address is: 4272 Fremont Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98103. Come visit us!
Where do I park?
Free parking in the back half of the Zundel/4333 Bldg lot just 1/2 block up the hill or on Fremont Avenue (2hr before 6pm), PLEASE DO NOT PARK ON 43rd as a favor to our neighbors. [Full lot rental available for weddings]. American Music's lot is also usually available after hours, 6pm weekends, 7pm weeknights, 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.
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, arts, and discussion.
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?
Originally built in 1914 as St. Paul's Lutheran, the building was used by the Compass Center from 2001-2005 before being purchased by Church of the Apostles (COTA), a Lutheran & Episcopal blended young church. COTA desired that their building be used by the community so it is now curated by "Artwerks DBA Fremont Abbey", a completely separate non-profit 501c3 (non-religious) that leases the building. COTA uses the building on Sundays at 5pm and occasionally other specified times through the year but in it's default form the building is used for arts & community events, classes, etc. 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.
Don't they censor the art or preach at me?
We have a general Respect Policy 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 COTA. Well, and some slam poets might sound like a preacher once in a while!