Sehome Arboretum site proposed for WWU’s Coast Salish longhouse
Bellingham residents are getting their first look at a traditional Coast Salish longhouse, which is planned for the base of Sehome Hill Arboretum on land owned by the city of Bellingham.
Western Washington University recently shared a drawing of the longhouse, which was funded this year by $4.5 million from the state Legislature.
“We have begun discussions with the city about a parcel of city-owned land in the arboretum adjacent to campus,” WWU spokesman John Thompson told The Bellingham Herald.
A key step in that process will be at an online meeting of Sehome Hill Arboretum Board of Governors, scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 16.
“If they endorse the project, we would then go forward with a presentation to the City Council who will vote on changing the charter of the arboretum for this purpose,” Thompson said.
WWU is raising additional funds for the project, he said.
A recent issue of the WWU magazine Window said the longhouse will be a cultural center for Indigenous students and the community, with a gathering hall, indoor and outdoor kitchens, and a student lounge.
Regional tribal elders will be part of an advisory committee to help design and plan for the building, the Window article said.
The Sehome Hill Arboretum Board of Governors was created under an agreement between the city of Bellingham and WWU.
Sehome Hill Arboretum is a 175.5-acre park south of downtown Bellingham, adjacent to the WWU campus. If features miles of hiking trails and is a popular connecting path for scenic hikes from downtown to Happy Valley.
