I’ve been trying to find the right way to say this, but I have a heartbreaking update about St. Ignatius.
As most of you know, our goal with St. Ignatius Hospital has always been simple by design: we want to preserve this building so that it makes it into the next generation, and if we’re able to go beyond that we want to create something meaningful and beautiful for our community. This place mans a lot to us, and I know it matters to so many of you, too.
The main way we’ve been able to keep the building going is through our paid tours. Val (or the ‘ghost lady’ as she is known) originated the tours well before we came on the scene as a way of bringing attention to the endangered status of the building. They’ve grown over the years, and become the main way we are able to continue the work of stabilizing, maintaining and preserving St. Ignatius.
I have never taken home a cent from these tours – we pay our tour guides and contractors, but after that every dollar earned has gone directly back into the building. And it takes a lot just to keep the building from going backwards.
Unfortunately, this year we’ve been hit with a devastating setback.
A neighbor began making trouble for us. First they were harassing our tour guide, then they made some spurious complaints to the city, and finally they filed a complaint with Washington State Labor & Industries alleging that the building wasn’t safe. As a result, L&I came out and shut down our tours right at the beginning of our busiest season.
We have always taken visitor safety seriously, and I am confident that in time that will be made clear. This is something that can be worked through, but it’s taking all of my time an energy to navigate a fairly uncertain process. But as of last weekend, until this is resolved, we have been forced to stop work and cancel all our tours.
This has been a gut-punch, discouraging on many levels.
People travel from all over the country (and even from around the world!) to visit St. Ignatius. They book plane tickets, hotel rooms, and make plans well in advance. People who were looking forward to tours this October are disappointed, and have every right to be! Our tour visitors also support local restaurants, shops, and other small businesses. So this situation doesn’t just affect us: it affects many people in our local community.
The timing couldn’t be worse. October is our busiest month for tours, and we normally run them every day of the week during this season. Usually, I don’t spend any of the projected tour money before tours actually happen. But this year was different, because after years of planning, saving, and hard work, we finally committed to putting a new roof on the building.
That $24,000 roof project was already underway. On top of the roofing contract itself, on which I have paid a hefty deposit, we have already spent months on preparation work that wasn’t even included in that cost. This roof has been one of the biggest goals in our preservation efforts, and it is deeply important to the future of the building.
So now we are in an incredibly difficult position: trying to continue moving forward with the roof work while also losing the tour income we were counting on during the busiest part of the year. And navigating a costly and time-consuming fight to restore the tours.
We know we’ll get through this- we’ve overcome so many obstacles already. We know we’ll keep fighting for St. Ignatius. But right now, if I’m honest, at this moment we’re heartbroken and overwhelmed.
We will keep working to preserve this building. I’m doing everything that I can to get tours reinstated as soon as possible, and we will keep fighting so that St. Ignatius can continue to be experienced, appreciated, and protected.
If you booked a tour for the next few weeks, we’re reaching out to people individually and processing refunds. For those who still want to visit, we’re offering tours at an alternate location – an 1893 hotel in downtown Colfax. It’s not usually open for tours, and it’s definitely haunted. If you don’t believe me, ask Garrett Watts. 😂
So many of you have already been willing to move your booking, and that means more than I can say.
If you have supported us now or in the past by taking a tour, sharing our story, sending kind words, or simply caring about this building, please know how much that means to us. We are very grateful.
And now, if you are in a position to help, I am asking for your support.
We’ve created a GoFundMe to help cover the difference so we can continue the roof project and get through the process of getting tours reinstated. If you would like to donate, you can do so here: Help Save St. Ignatius Hospital
If you’re not able to give, sharing this post and the fundraiser would also mean a great deal.
Thank you for caring about St. Ignatius, and for standing with us. And thank you for helping us continue to fight for this building.
– Austin & Laura
