UW’s ASUW Shell House Restoration Campaign Surpasses Goal, Demonstrates Strong Community Support

Before the oars dip their blades signaling the beginning of the Windemere Cup, before hundreds of flag-draped boats parade from Portage Bay to Lake Washington to open the boating season, the campaign to save the ASUW Shell House at the University of Washington already can be called a winner. 

The UW’s “ASUW Shell House: The Next 100 Years” campaign to restore and renovate the iconic building on the Montlake Cut surpassed all expectations, with donors contributing $19.2 million. 

Thanks to donors from around the state and world, the historic building will be renovated as a learning and gathering space. Home to the 1936 rowing team that won Olympic gold and was featured in the best-selling book and feature film, “The Boys in the Boat,” the shell house will serve future generations of students and the community, standing as a monument to its history: built as a seaplane hangar for World War I on Coast Salish land that once served as a canoe portage. Over the decades, the building has inspired multiple generations of rowers and students. 

“By revitalizing this iconic space, we’re creating a hub where community, creativity and camaraderie will flourish,” said Denzil Suite, vice president for student life. “It’s a space where we can come together as a University, as a region, and work together to accomplish big things.”  

The Next 100 Years campaign, which was led by the UW, The Seattle Times, Microsoft and many corporate and community partners, received nearly 5,000 donations, of which 94% were $500 or smaller. The state of Washington, King County, and the National Park Service also contributed to the effort. 

The campaign’s success also came thanks to leadership from regional champions, corporate and government partners, and local philanthropists. More than 25 gifts to the overall campaign were greater than $100,000. 

Honorary co-chair Judy Rantz Willman found her connection to the Shell House through her father, Joe Rantz. He’s the central character in the story retold in the book, “Boys in the Boat,” written by Daniel James Brown, Willman’s co-chair. 

“The first time I went inside, it felt almost mystical. Even though it was in a state of disarray, the building still had an air of nobility,” Willman said. “It was enough to bring tears to my eyes and raise the hairs on the back of my neck. The history was still there, still alive.” 

In the same spirit of community that rallied in 1936 to help the UW men’s rowing team achieve Olympic gold, hundreds of people from the broader community came together late last year to help propel fundraising efforts to the finish line for the historic shell house. They also gave to the UW men’s and women’s rowing teams; and the Husky Promise, which covers the tuition and fees for low-income students from Washington. 

Beginning at the UW Salute to Service football game in early November and continuing until the premiere of the “Boys in the Boat” film on Dec. 25, the six-week “Pull Together” campaign showcased the broad range of support for the UW: 

• Nearly a third of donations came from donors who previously had no direct UW affiliation. 
• One in five donations came from UW faculty, staff, students and retirees. 
• The University of Washington Alumni Association provided matching funding, doubling the impact of gifts of up to $500 made by current UW faculty, staff and retirees. 
• More than 700 gifts raised a total of $2.8 million.