The Hilltop Children's Center, a longtime fixture of the upper Queen Anne neighborhood, has found a new home. Readers may remember that after 35 years the Center's landlord, the Queen Anne Lutheran Church, needed its space back.
Hilltop will be transferring its nationally renowned childcare operation to 4 Nickerson St., down by Seattle Pacific University and the Ship Canal, very soon.
The new space's 8,500 square feet is even bigger than Hilltop's current accommodations at 2400 Eighth Ave. W. The site formerly housed a university laboratory.
"We looked at every church and public space in a radius of 5 miles," said Ilene Stark, Hilltop' staff director. "When we couldn't find a public space, we turned to commercial spaces.
"We're very grateful we found a space that will work for us. We will even be able to create one additional classroom for 2-to-3-year-olds," Stark noted.
Stark said Hilltop hopes to be in the new digs by early this fall. Until then, Hilltop remains in the space it has occupied for decades.
"We're working very closely and cooperatively with the [Lutheran] church," Stark said.
The center's move doesn't come without some costs.
"This move requires unprece-dented fundraising for us. We've formed a committee, the Campaign for Hilltop's Future, co-chaired by William Donnelly and [former Seattle Center honcho] Virginia Anderson," Stark said.
The center is also opening up its longtime location for three upcoming events so that former students and parents of former students can say goodbye.
"We are having three events to reconnect with our hundreds of alumni families and give them the opportunity to say goodbye to the space," Stark explained.
The trio of events, all to be held at 2400 Eighth Ave. W., are slated for Saturday, June 16, from 10 a.m. to noon; next Thursday, June 21, from 6 to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, July 1, from 3 to 5 p.m.
"These are not fundraisers but celebrations of space memories," Stark said.
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