Welcome to Bothell: McMenamin brothers visit city, detail plans for W.A. Anderson Building

They’re not rock stars, but a handful of Bothell residents and city employees treated the McMenamin brothers as such on Wednesday.

After the hotel and brew-pub businessmen addressed the crowd gathered in front of the W.A. Anderson Building regarding their plans to bring one of their popular establishments to the site, people excitedly gathered around the pair to welcome them to town.

Sporting a long white beard and bushy mustache, respectively, Mike and Brian talked away with the crowd, some of whom called out, “Where’s the beer?” following their speeches.

“It’s amazing what this town is doing. We’re involved in some different cities, this is very special what’s happening here, so it’s exciting for us to be a part of,” Mike told the crowd.

“Expectations are high and I hope we fill them all. We’ve got some work ahead of us,” Brian said. “This is a great opportunity for us, and it’s what we love to do.”

Added Mayor Mark Lamb to the crowd: “One of the things that’s great about being the mayor of the city of Bothell is that we have so many wonderful family owned businesses, and we have so many people who run their businesses for generations. And it’s a huge honor for me to welcome another great Northwest family owned business here to the city of Bothell.”

McMenamins is expected to begin renovations in May 2012, with completion by June 2013 on the 70-room hotel and entertainment complex. Plans also include a restaurant, pub, movie theater, live music space, spa, garden, pool and meeting room.

While touring the Anderson facility Wednesday, the McMenamins said they’ll pay close attention to the building’s history and perhaps feature past school teachers as inspiration for their renowned “historical surrealism” artwork displayed throughout their buildings.

“It’s a great thing for Anderson, which I’m really happy about because it’s got good bones, it’s an icon in the community,” said Pat Pierce of the local Landmark Preservation Board earlier in the morning. “It’s surprising how many people have gone to school or taught here, so it’s always been part of the community since the 1930s, when it was built.”

As they moved over to the now-closed Northshore Pool, the brothers said they’re fully aware that it is named after locals Tracie Ruiz and Candy Costie, who won the 1984 Olympic duet gold synchronized-swimming medal. They may add some synchro artwork there.

“And we laugh, because I think we’ll be able to work with maybe some of the high-school teams as far as swimming, but when you’re racing, maybe the lines won’t be as straight as they used to be,” Mike laughed about adding a touch of humor to the pool. “So maybe you’ll be going down your lane, and then it will have a wiggle, and you have to do the wiggle.”

The laughs continued — and even raised some eyebrows of those on the tour — when Mike noted that they’ve performed some “exorcisms” to ward off any evil spirits in their other old buildings-turned-hotels. They’ve had marching bands blast away and a bagpiper play “Amazing Grace” to get the job done.

“We need to get ourselves in the right frame of mind,” Mike said. “Bring some music in.”

The building is located at 18603 Bothell Way N.E.