When McMenamin’s opens on Oct. 15, many Bothellites will have access to an entirely new experience, right in their own downtown.

The revitalization process of the old Anderson School, formerly owned by the Northshore School District, is less than six months away from being completed. The old junior high school will be a 72-room hotel, with bars in the old courtyard, a jungle-themed pool area, a theater and more, all available to Bothell citizens.

One of the major aspects for citizens of Bothell will be the free access to the newly renovated pool area. While it’s not going to be a traditional swimming pool, it will be an exotic place to go and relax – for free.

“We expect a lot of usage, we hope the whole town is in here at once,” said Mike McMenamin, who co-owns the company with his brother Brian. “We want to have a good ‘ole party going on.”

There will also be a community room with a game room on the other side of the old wood-shop-turned-brewery. Hotel patrons and Bothell residents will be able to use it for free.

The old gymnasium has been repurposed for multiple uses. Split into different areas, there will be a business meeting space, gathering space and a first-run movie theater.

The new brewery will have a 10-barrel system, serving up locally handcrafted beers, including the Hammerhead, Ruby and Terminator Stoutas. The brews are small-batch and one-time brews to offer variety in the McMenamin’s Woodshop Bar.

Though, not everything will be new. The history of Bothell will be forever entwined with the new McMenamin’s.

Each of the 72 rooms in the hotel is named after a former employee that worked within the Anderson School. Local artists, such as Michelle Waldele-Dick, will have works of historic-themed art gracing the walls of the hotel and attached amenities. The old principals office is now a gathering area with refreshment bar.

“Wouldn’t you like to drink in class and sleep in class? Isn’t there an allure there?” Mike said. “There’s so much history in schools, the whole thing about families and traditions, so people love to come back to their school in a different sort of manner.”

And the stories have been coming out of the proverbial Anderson-School woodwork through people who used to attend class in the building. According to Mike, the reaction of many Bothell citizens has been positive.

“A lot of our connections have been through local citizens saying: ‘Hey, my old neighbor used to go there and has a story he wants to tell,'” Mike said. “Then the photos started coming out of people’s drawers and all the great stuff, that’s where it comes from. You can’t just snap your fingers and get that… to get deeper into the stories you got to go to the actual people.”

Much of the history of the Anderson School has been preserved and used around the hotel and it’s amenities. According to Brian, the Bothell historians have been working to find the great stories of the Anderson School for several years.

“One of the main things that we like to get involved in are places that have historical value because of the deep reservoir of history, that’s basically the soul of the place, you’ve got that connection. Where people can come and see themselves in the old photos, or their folks, or relatives, or folks they know,” Mike said. “A school is such an intensive people experience with all the families going through the school and all the hijinks that can be interpreted with the artwork. And all the stories that pop out, that’s really good stuff.”

At the northern end of Bothell’s new revitalization project, the McMenamin’s Anderson School will be a big piece on the final redesign of Bothell’s downtown core.

“The community takes a sense of ownership in the school because its been here since the 30’s and they want to keep it,” Brain said. “That you hope is an important part of the community.”