Iconic Bellingham building is getting a face-lift. Here’s how you can watch the progress
One of Bellingham’s oldest and most recognizable buildings is getting a makeover soon.
Old City Hall, which opened in 1892 in what was then the town of New Whatcom, will undergo cleaning and outside restoration work starting later this month.
“People will likely see crews using lifts and ladders. We’ll need to remove and repair a number of windows, so you’ll see them boarded up for a time. The new rebuilt windows will be capable of withstanding weather for years to come,” said Amy Cloud, spokeswoman for the Department of Public Works.
Progress on the effort will be documented and shared on the city’s streaming channel, BTV, Cloud told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
Cost of the project is $1.25 million, funded in part with a $380,000 grant from the Washington State Historical Society, she said.
Exterior work includes cleaning and repair of the red brick and Chuckanut sandstone masonry, restoration and structural improvements to the cast-iron columns, replacement of wood windows and roof repairs, according to a June 5 report from Eric Johnston, public works director.
“The repair and maintenance of the building envelope will prevent further deterioration and provide a longer life span of the building’s integrity, function, and appearance, as well as provide safe exiting during emergency events,” Johnston said in the memo.
Old City Hall, with its late Victorian architecture, is the first site in Washington state to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It became part of the Whatcom Museum in 1941.
It houses local historical displays that highlight the area’s Indigenous people, early European settlers, and the fishing and logging industries. Its third-floor gallery features a famed collection of more than 600 taxidermy birds.
In addition to serving as a home for the young city’s bureaucracy, its basement housed the police department and jail — some windows still have bars.
Next door is the museum’s Syre Center, which originally was the fire station.
Speaking of fire, the Old City Hall’s signature clock tower burned in 1962 and was rebuilt in 1974 from historical photos because the plans had been lost.
New Whatcom formed when the the towns of Whatcom and Sehome merged in 1891.
Bellingham incorporated in 1903, combing New Whatcom with the town of Bellingham and the port city of Fairhaven.
