L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY F rom Theodore Roo- sevelt to Elvis Presley, from William Howard Taft to Babe Ruth, guests who stayed in the New Washington Hotel in down- town Seattle ranged from presi- dents to sports stars to music idols. This once-elegant 14-story building on the corner of Second Avenue and Stewart Street, built in 1908, was the city's premier hotel for decades. It had 250 comfortable rooms, a dining room with terra cotta ceiling, and a stunning marble lobby with a fireplace that included a tiled image of Mount Rainier on top and two hard-carved totem poles on each side. The illustrious guests from years past would be hard-pressed to rec- ognize the place now. Transformed about 20 years ago and renamed The Josephinum, the building is home to an assortment of studio and one-bedroom apartments for low-income residents as well as 40 units for the recently homeless. Its new owner: Catholic Community Services. Unusual as that might be, per- haps the most surprising aspect of the New Washington Hotel's ren- ovation is that its dining room has been transformed into a light-filled house of worship. Known as a per- sonal parish, Christ Our Hope Catholic Church has no geographic boundaries. Anyone can belong, and its parishioners reflect the city's diversity. It is the first new parish of its kind in more than 40 years in the Seattle Archdiocese. Reverend Paul Magnano, whose family roots go back more than a century in Seattle, serves as the pas- tor. His grandfather Antonio was born in a small town outside Genoa, and traveled to the Pacific Northwest in 1903, where he started a wholesale food business close to the present-day Seattle Art Museum. His company was known for its olive oils, vinegars and other specialty import products. Antonio's son Angelo expanded the business, and in 1932, it became the first company in the Northwest to distribute beer and wine. In 1960, the company rebranded as the Napoleon Company. Still in family hands four generations later, it is headquartered in Bellevue, Wash. Paul Magnano knew at an early age that the food import business was not a good match for him. The oldest of eight children, he took a dramatically different route when he chose the priesthood. But that was clearly the right decision. In 2017, Magnano celebrated his 50th year as a priest. Magnano was ordained in Rome and lived there for a time. Back in the States, he served stu- dents at Western Washington Uni- versity as well as parishioners in both Seattle and the Skagit Valley to the north. Today, he relishes his work as RITA CIPALLA for quiet prayer and reflection. The renovation blends the old with the new. It included a touch of the Magnano family history, as well. The Napoleon Company provided the oil used at the altar for the opening day Mass and Magnano's installation as pastor. The church continues to be a work in progress. Several years ago, local ceramic artist and sculp- tor Mimi Miller Miles was com- missioned by building architect Stephen Lee to create figures for the building's exterior. She carved the four evangelists of the New Testament – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The apostles were in- stalled in 2016 in window alcoves, visible to passersby from the street. This open and welcoming ap- proach, just steps from the com- munity it serves, is the hallmark of Christ Our Hope. The celebration of Mass draws from the diversity of downtown: the homeless as well as the tech community, business travelers and tourists mingling with local residents. The congregation consists of about 400 households. As buildings around Seattle are being demolished at a quick pace, it's easy to forget that these old spaces have tales to tell and secrets to share. Thanks to the careful ren- ovation of the former New Wash- ington Hotel, the Josephinum and Christ Our Hope Church ensure that this small piece of Seattle's history will continue to serve the community for decades to come. In 2016, four new sculptures were installed outside Christ Our Hope Catholic Church, attracting the interest of some passers-by. The church was occupies a former hotel dining room. (Bettina Hansen/Seattle Times) pastor of Christ Our Hope Church. "I see ourselves engaged in every- thing and anything in downtown Seattle," said Magnano in a Seattle Times article. "The people of the streets, the people of the condos, the workers, the tourists coming off the cruise ships. Everyone is welcome at this table." This desire to serve people from all walks of life is reinforced by the church's location in the heart of the city. The neighborhood is a bit gritty. The homeless mingle with office workers and, just up the street, is a performing arts venue—the oldest still-active theater in Seattle—that hosts a revolving door of musical talent. The location of the new church was important to Magnano. "I'm in the heart of downtown, where my grandfather started out," he ob- served. "There is a need for a Catholic presence in downtown Seattle." About a decade after the New Washington Hotel closed, the Archdiocese of Seattle bought the building in 1963 and ran it as a re- tirement home before turning it into a low-income residence. When Christ Our Hope was consecrated in 2010, the Most Rev. Alex J. Brunett, archbishop of Seattle at the time, commented how appropriate it was to reuse the hotel's dining room as a house of worship. In the past, he noted, the dining room nourished hotel pa- trons. Today, the church is feeding the spirit and serving the needs of the downtown community. With a semi-circle of benches and chairs facing arched stained glass windows, Christ Our Hope is a beautiful, airy space perfect Transforming a hotel dining room to nourish the soul An historic postcard depicts the elegant New Washington Hotel, built in 1908. It was once the top place to stay in Seattle and now houses low-income resi- dents

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