Community Environment Government

PenMet celebrates opening of revamped Rosedale Hall

An afternoon mist began to turn to light rain just as a ribbon cutting ceremony wrapped up Tuesday evening to officially celebrate the extensive renovation of the nearly 100-year-old Rosedale Hall. About 40 community members gathered in the parking lot to listen as Pen Met Parks commissioners and staff spoke on the importance of preserving the building.

After 265 days of renovation, Rosedale Hall reopened for events and meetings on July 15.

The renovation came in at a cost of $1.51 million, on budget, and on time, according to PenMet Executive Director Ally Bujacich. PenMet acquired Rosedale Hall in 2007 from Pierce County.

“It was at the end of its life,” said project manager John Adams. “It was at the point where we had to decide to either save it, or tear it down.”

A ribbon waiting to be cut at the renovated Rosedale Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

Stripped to the studs

The renovation kept the original footprint of the 2,236-square-foot building, but stripped the interior to the studs. Walls, floors, and ceilings were replaced, restrooms moved to the back of the building. A new storage closet accommodates the various classes that meet there.  

The stage was raised and a catering kitchen was installed. The building got new lighting, electrical upgrades and interior acoustics improvements. It boats new trusses, a new roof, and a new exterior sign. Exterior cedar siding was cleaned and repainted.

“The goal was to keep the original character as much as possible. So the siding, we simply cleaned and painted, but the inside is pretty much rebuilt from the dirt under the floors to the peak of the roof,” Adams said.

Bujacich, emphasized the importance of the hall to the community.

“This is a distinctive cedar shake building that is familiar to our present and past,” Bujacich said. “There have been weddings, concerts, dances, and I’ve talked to some who attended some of the original mixers. It’s an important spot in our community.”

A crowd of around 40 people from the community gathered during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the repairs and renovations of Rosedale Hall on Tuesday.
Photo courtesy of Pen Met Parks

Rosedale Hall now open

Rosedale Hall is now open for events, classes, concerts and more. Its capacity is 60 people. Over the many years of its existence, the hall has served as a community gathering space for celebrations and special moments for residents. It served as a school, a church, and exercise studio as well, according to Pen Met Parks.

Discrepancies exist over exactly when the hall was built, but it appears to have been in the mid-1930s. A March 29, 1935, edition of the Peninsula Gateway reported: “Rosedale News- The Mixer Club will sponsor a card party on Saturday night…for the benefit of the new hall.” The Gateway announced several more fundraisers for Rosedale Hall construction that year, with another item noting its formal opening in 1936. 

For more information about Rosedale Hall, visit penmetparks.org/rosedale-hall.