Bellevue Arts Museum and KidsQuest Children’s Museum Announce Purchase and Sale Agreement
October 1, 2025 - by Bellevue Arts Museum & KidsQuest Children's Museum
Bellevue Arts Museum and KidsQuest Children’s Museum Announce Purchase and Sale Agreement
Exciting new chapters for both organizations
KidsQuest Children’s Museum and Bellevue Arts Museum (BAM) have entered into an agreement for the sale of the iconic Steven Holl-designed building in downtown Bellevue. KidsQuest is currently completing Due Diligence for the property, and the parties intend to close on the sale in early 2026.
For 20 years KidsQuest has played a vital role in Bellevue’s cultural offerings and educational resources for families. “KidsQuest is rooted in community,” says Putter Bert, President & CEO of KidsQuest Children’s Museum, “from the bold vision of passionate volunteers in the 1990s and the realization of our first small Museum in Factoria Mall in 2005, to our move in 2017 into the former Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art, and now, looking to our future in the BAM building. KidsQuest has always taken the right-size steps at the appropriate time for organizational development and with the community as our guide for why, what, when, and how. We could not be more thrilled to further our mission and grow playful STEAM learning opportunities in Bellevue.”
As BAM prepares to transition from its current location late next year, it will embrace its origins as a leader of arts and culture in Bellevue with renewed focus and energy. “BAM will continue to nurture and support the arts through the annual Bellevue Arts Fair, one of the longest-running and largest events in Washington state,” says Shelly Crocker, BAM Receiver. “Additionally, we are dedicated to establishing an emerging artist program, a tradition from BAM's early days. Finally, BAM is actively seeking a new physical location to house its extensive art library, display a select collection of visual art, and host events that will continue to support art and culture in Bellevue, with more updates to follow.”
KidsQuest is a dynamic, interactive museum, at the intersection of arts and science. There is a natural nexus with a location in the center of downtown Bellevue, along the Grand Connection and surrounded by the vibrancy of The Bellevue Collection. Tremendous potential exists to enhance programming, further support the needs of families on the Eastside, and drive tourism. It is anticipated that the expanded Museum will serve 350,000+ people annually.
"The city is excited to see that the proposed purchase by KidsQuest keeps the Bellevue Arts Museum property on a path to continue as a facility benefitting the public in the heart of downtown” said Bellevue City Manager Diane Carlson. “We're especially pleased to see KidsQuest’s commitment as a place where arts and science collide as well as BAM’s intent to continue the Bellevue Arts Fair and arts programming in the community. This purchase agreement retains the building’s artistic roots and fosters our community’s creative future.”
BAM and KidsQuest have a long history of partnership in support of Bellevue’s cultural community and arts education. This Agreement represents a shared understanding of the importance of ensuring a thriving cultural amenity endures in the heart of the city. With KidsQuest’s vibrant presence and engaging arts programming, the building will remain a hub for imagination, discovery, learning, and cultural enrichment—values that align closely with BAM’s legacy. KidsQuest offers families a safe, trusted, and accessible venue, providing what is often a child’s first encounter with the Eastside creative community, offering building blocks for success in school and later in life.
“A new home in the heart of downtown for KidsQuest Children’s Museum marks an exciting new moment for Bellevue. KidsQuest is nationally recognized as a museum for young children and their families to pursue learning, stretch their curiosity and expand their creativity from an early age,” said John Carlson, President of Kemper Development Company. “The Freeman family and Kemper Development Company employees have brought and continue to bring their own children to the Museum to experience everything it has to offer. The family and KDC feel privileged to play a role in bringing this opportunity to KidsQuest and our city.”
Over the next few years, KidsQuest will continue to welcome children and families into its current Museum at 1116 108th Ave NE, while designing, fundraising for, and building out the former BAM space. The goal is to open the new Museum in 2029. KidsQuest looks forward to engaging community stakeholders to help make this dream a reality.
The sale of the Steven Holl building will not only provide an exciting new home for KidsQuest, it also enables BAM to pay all of its creditors in full and reconstitute a board for the surviving nonprofit organization, ensuring a strong foundation for the future.
BAM and KidsQuest are each looking ahead to their next chapters with optimism, imagination, and a mutual dedication to celebrating the arts in our region.
About KidsQuest Children’s Museum
KidsQuest Children’s Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that creates learning through the power of play and exploration, connecting children to their communities and the world. A hands-on, interactive children's museum, KidsQuest occupies a unique space at the intersection of arts and culture with early science, technology, engineering, and math education. KidsQuest welcomes children 0-10 years old and their families, encouraging lifelong learning with an emphasis on intergenerational engagement. Located in Downtown Bellevue, KidsQuest serves over 200,000 people each year through hands-on exhibits, classes, workshops, special events, memberships, field trips, and outreach programs.
The mission of the Bellevue Arts Museum is “engaging people in the power of art, craft and design.”
