Nearly two years after an arson fire tore through Camp Long Lodge, city and state officials walked through the charred West Seattle landmark to get a firsthand look at what it will take to bring it back — and the answer is not cheap or quick. Seattle Parks deputy superintendent Andy Sheffer led the tour, telling attendees that a full rebuild carries an estimated cost of at least $10 million and likely will not wrap up until 2032.
Officials Get an Up-Close Look at the Damage
The tour, first reported by West Seattle Blog, brought together Washington state Representative Joe Fitzgibbon and state Senator Emily Alvarado, both of the 34th District, along with Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka of District 1. Sheffer told the group that the $10 million estimate for reconstructing the century-old lodge is likely the low end of what the project will ultimately cost, according to the outlet's report. The lodge rebuild remains in the pre-design phase, with Seattle Parks and Recreation now pursuing a variety of construction funding sources to move it forward.
The fire that gutted the lodge was deliberately set in November 2024, according to the West Seattle Blog's reporting, and Seattle Fire Department investigators previously confirmed to KOMO News that the blaze was ruled arson, with roughly 60 firefighters responding and initial property damage estimated at $1.2 million. Firefighters were forced into a defensive strategy after discovering a hole in the floor that threatened structural collapse, per that report. A separate investigation summary relayed by MyNorthwest detailed broken glass on lodge doors and basement windows suggesting forced entry, along with blood droplets collected near broken cabin windows for evidence, though authorities noted no property appeared to have been stolen during the break-in.
A Decade-Spanning Funding Puzzle
Stabilization and preservation work at the lodge was funded with approximately $1 million in insurance money, but that covers only about one-third of the design work needed before construction can even begin. Seattle Parks has hired a consultant to start that design work, and the agency is weighing several paths to cover the rest, including the Seattle Park District funding cycle and potential community funding through the Seattle Parks Foundation. State legislators, meanwhile, sought support for approximately $700,000 in design funding, according to the West Seattle Blog's account of the tour.
The rebuild will likely include electrification and is expected to meet ADA accessibility standards, officials said, even as the project aims to preserve the lodge's historic character. That balancing act is complicated by the building's status: despite containing features of historic significance, including heavy timber construction and cobblestone masonry, Camp Long Lodge is not an official city landmark. Those cobblestones have a distinct provenance — according to Seattle Department of Neighborhoods historic records, the lodge was completed in 1941 by Works Progress Administration crews using paving blocks repurposed from the city's retired East Madison Street cable-car line.
Community Engagement Planned for Early Next Year
Seattle Parks and Recreation plans to hold community-engagement events early next year as the Camp Long Lodge project moves forward, reflecting what the West Seattle Blog described as intense public interest in the building's fate. In the meantime, the lodge — which normally serves as an event venue — continues to support other activity happening elsewhere at the 68-acre park. The park's rustic cabins, rented out for camping and used during park festivals, remain in operation even with the lodge closed.
Camp Long's roots stretch back to 1937, when Seattle Park Board member Archie Phelps, Juvenile Court Judge William Long, and mountaineer Clark Schurman acquired a 68-acre parcel of the old West Seattle Golf Course to create an urban outdoor-education campsite, according to Seattle Parks and Recreation. The park is also home to Schurman Rock, built by WPA crews in 1939 as the nation's first purpose-built artificial climbing structure, where legendary climbers including Mount Everest pioneer Jim Whittaker trained in their youth, per the department's records.
Programming Continues Despite the Closure
Seattle Parks previously completed a predesign study for lodge repairs and secured permits for a modular trailer on-site so that environmental education and summer camp programming could keep running during reconstruction. Emergency stabilization work after the fire — including roof repairs, restored power to climate controls, masonry shoring, and temporary structural framing performed under a contract with Diverse Earthworks — kept rain and mold from further damaging the interior while the longer-term design process got underway.
The lodge's closure hasn't slowed other programming at Camp Long. Hoodline previously reported that the Windz of Change Alliance hosted eco-cultural workshops at the park in October 2024, installing Coast Salish tribal art with support from the city's Environmental Justice Fund. The following month, Seattle Parks and Recreation issued a request for proposals to license outdoor preschool providers at six city parks, including Camp Long, part of a broader push toward nature-based early childhood classrooms across the city.
