A new centerpiece building in Fairhaven is ready to welcome residents
It’s move-in time at Fairhaven’s newest landmark.
It has been a nearly two-year construction project for the five-story Fairhaven Tower building at Harris Avenue and 12th Street, but the work is basically complete. The building has 35 apartments, covered parking and some commercial space on the ground floor.
Residents are expected to start moving in the week of Jan. 18, said Travis Black of Alliance Properties. It will be a staggered process so that the moving-in work is appropriately spaced.
Travis Black said 29 of the 35 apartment units are leased and he expects the rest to soon be spoken for now that the project is complete. He said a majority of the building is leased to local residents, but they also have signed a few leases with people moving into the area from larger cities.
This project has been a long time coming for Alliance Properties, founded by Travis’ father, Ralph Black. Part of the property was purchased in 2008 with the idea of re-creating the Fairhaven Hotel. That hotel was the centerpiece of Fairhaven when it opened in 1890. It was demolished in 1956, nearly three years after it was heavily damaged by fire.
Market demand has led to changes in the current project, and while it won’t be a hotel, the Black family planned the current design to pay respect to the previous structure. Designed by Bellingham’s Zervas Group, Fairhaven Tower has similar exterior features as well as a clock tower that is 93 feet above the ground.
Building much of this structure during the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging, Travis Black said in an email. Along with health concerns, there were supply-chain disruptions that led to the schedule constantly changing.
The building has studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom units ranging from $900 per month for a studio to more than $6,000 a month for the penthouse option.
