Bellingham hosts open house at renovated Federal Building

City workers will host an open house in the historic downtown Federal Building to preview the new Public Works offices.

From 4 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, people can check out the newly renovated space at 104 W. Magnolia St.

In early November, the Public Works engineering division will move into the 1913 building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Washington Heritage Register.

The city bought the building for $1 in 2004 from the federal General Services Administration. The purchase included a $2.6 million federal grant, which funded historic preservation and the first phase of improvements.

Design and construction of the recently completed second-phase renovations, in which parts of the building were renovated into modern offices, cost $3.5 million.

The U.S. post office will remain where it is on the ground floor, and the second-floor courtroom is still intact.

The third phase will include restoring the lobby and building entrances.

This story was originally published November 2, 2015 at 2:23 PM with the headline "Bellingham hosts open house at renovated Federal Building."