The Main Event
Royal Brougham Pavilion
Old red bricks, numerous windows, maroon handrails and doors, and a grand staircase leading to the main event. Inside, the walls are plastered with banners and awards proudly displaying the success Seattle Pacific University has had over the years. The sound of shoes squeaking accompanied with the roar of the crowd and the smell of buttery popcorn occupies your senses as you enter the building. All of this excitement is packed into one building: Royal Brougham Pavilion.
Back in the 1940s, Seattle Pacific College, known today as Seattle Pacific University, wanted to create a plan for the school’s recreational leadership program, since there was “a growing demand for Christian leadership in the field of athletics, sports, and other recreational activities” (Seattle Pacific College). The emphasis of this program would be upon Christian leadership, good sportsmanship, physical fitness, and not upon star athletes or winning teams. The school’s recreational leadership program was then organized to provide thorough training in sports, physical education, and group recreational activities. Because of this, several programs were developed for students aspiring to be coaches, health directors, recreational leaders, and supervisors for clubs and summer camps.
Building this pavilion was not only going to be beneficial for Seattle Pacific College, but also for the city of Seattle. This new pavilion would be conveniently placed at the corner of 3rd Avenue and West Nickerson Street.
The pavilion committee decided upon this location so that it would be easily accessible to all members of the community and not just to the school’s campus (Seattle Pacific College). In a letter Royal Brougham, a journalist for Post-Intelligencer and who the new pavilion would be named after, wrote to the Marvin Burke, chairman of the pavilion committee, Brougham shares his thoughts about how this building would be beneficial to the college, as well as the community. Burke then responded, “Seattle has lagged far behind in facilities and in developing enough trained and qualified leaders for this [physical education] profession. I think it is most commendable that Seattle Pacific is combining a training school of physical education leadership, along with its plans for the splendid athletic pavilion” (Seattle Pacific College). During the 1940s, many high schools in Seattle lacked modern sized gymnasiums. This made it more challenging for various schools to compete in sporting events with the correct court sizing and enough seating arrangements for spectators. Seattle Pacific’s new pavilion would meet the needs of many schools in the area providing enough space and correct court size, and as well as provide a benefit to the college’s campus.
Royal Brougham was born in Missouri on the 17th of September in 1894 (Flom). When he was young, his family decided to move to Seattle, and he has been here ever since. Brougham attended Franklin High School, but dropped out before graduation to be a copy boy for the Post-Intelligencer’s sports section. Although he did not finish high school, Brougham quickly moved up from just being a copy boy to being a part-time writer, and then eventually a full-time sports journalist. Brougham got to cover some of the most famous sporting events and athletes of all-time including Babe Ruth, Bobby Jones, and Jersey Joe Wolcott (Seattle Pacific College). Brougham was not only a journalist, but he was also a Christian and a philanthropist. Emmett Watson, a report for the Seattle Times, describes Brougham as “being ‘a hard-shelled Baptist,’ he didn’t drink, didn’t smoke, didn’t stay late for Saturday night events. That was because he had to get up early the next day to teach Sunday school” (Watson). Brougham died while commentating on the closing minutes of a Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos football game, where he suffered from a heart attack (Flom). While being transported to the hospital, he asked those assisting him what the score of the game was, rather than being concerned about his health and even life. This shows how Brougham was very devoted to his job and had a great interest in the sporting events of Seattle.
When Brougham found out that the pavilion committee had decided to name the new gymnasium after him, he described his feelings as “floored, frustrated, and flabbergasted” (Seattle Pacific College). Brougham had thought there were more appropriate and much more worthy other individuals to have this honor, but succumbed to the defeat of not being able to change the committee’s minds about their decision. Naming the building after Brougham was defended because he represented the Christian community well all the while fulfilling his career of being a renowned journalist (McNichols). The pavilion committee wanted to recognize this notable Christian sportswriter and editor of Northwest newspapers.
Although the idea of this new recreational building was an exceptional one, words were not going to build this pavilion. The school needed money, $250,000 to be exact (Seattle Pacific College). Some of the funds came from business firms who were wanting to divert their profits from taxes and funnel it into types of work that will benefit the youth, such as the building of Royal Brougham Pavilion. Another chunk of the funds came from church groups and wealthy families. Both of these groups really wanted the number of juvenile delinquencies to be reduced. Many hoped that Royal Brougham would provide a positive impact on the community, especially for the youth. However, the real portion of the money came from service clubs whose members were interested in this “worthwhile project.” Many individuals and groups had contributed to this project, and it has benefitted many youths ever since.
Today, Royal Brougham Pavilion serves as a practice and training facility for the school’s athletes, offices for coaches, gymnasium, and center for intermural and weight training programs for Seattle Pacific’s students. As a student at Seattle Pacific, I use Royal Brougham for intermurals, circuit training, and attending various sporting events. I particularly enjoy watching women’s basketball and volleyball, as I played those sports frequently in high school.
On December 7, 2010, Seattle Pacific University and the Seattle Storm, a women’s national basketball team (WNBA), agreed upon a five-year long contract for the Storm to use the lower gym in Royal Brougham Pavilion as their practice site (Tristano). Because of this agreement, the lower gym had to be renovated to accommodate a professional team since college courts are not quite the same size as professional sized courts. “It gives the institution the advantage for an upgraded facility,” said former Seattle Pacific University Athletic Director Erin O’Connell. This renovation did not cost the university any money because it was all donated by the Gates Foundation. “It’s a great way for SPU to have more community outreach,” said Amy Foster, assistant director of conference services at SPU. “Anytime we can get in the community to include them in the campus is a great tool. The Storm is an excellent basketball team. It’s a win-win.” This is just one example of how Royal Brougham Pavilion has provided opportunities for the community of Seattle.
As the crowd gets louder and louder and the seconds on the score clock get closer to zero, Royal Brougham is filled with more and more excitement and nerves. “3…2…1…,” the crowd yells. One last shot goes up and swishes through the net as the time expires; Falcons win. As everyone celebrates the win, I look at the plastered walls and notice the smell of buttery popcorn within this pavilion. Thank you Royal Brougham for your passion in physical education and athletics, so that I may enjoy moments like this too.
Works Cited
Flom, Eric L. “Brougham, Royal (1894–1978), Journalist.” HistoryLink.org. The Free Encyclopedia of Washington State History, 22 Aug. 2005. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.
McNichols, Donald. Seattle Pacific University: A Growing Vision, 1891–1991. Seattle, WA: The University, 1989. Print.
Seattle Pacific College, “Your Investment in the Royal Brougham Pavilion presents A Lasting Memorial in Christian Recreational Leadership” (1950). Publications. Book 3.
Tristano, David. “Royal Brougham Welcomes Storm.” The Falcon. Seattle Pacific University, 13 Jan. 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.
Watson, Emmett. “Royal Brougham Was More Than Just Another Name On a Downtown Street Sign.” The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times, 27 July 1999. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
