The preservation of historical places first became popular in 1949 when the U.S. National Trust for Historic Preservation developed a specific set of goals for preservation. The organization’s mission was to “save America’s diverse historic places and revitalize [it’s] communities.”
Preservation of historic structures typically involves activities associated with maintaining historical relics and monuments that connect us to our unique, but rich cultural heritage. For decades, the Granary building on Bellingham’s waterfront has symbolized the shared past of Whatcom County. Mathew Hubbard, a Western Washington University student said, “This building is evidence of a cooperative community in which egg and poultry farmers united to insure survival in a competitive market, a symbol of the people working toward a common goal of economic progress and prosperity.”
However, successful preservation requires us to do more than determine which buildings are worthy of safekeeping. We must also create the fiscal resources to rehabilitate and maintain them. In most instances, this is not something that can be accomplished by a Port or a City on their own. The City strives to preserve significant structures whenever it can, but sometimes a building’s condition, location and the economics of rehabilitation make it seem impossible to save.
Hence, we need to secure additional funding if we hope to preserve the Granary. And that isn’t an easy task during a slow economic recovery. But other communities have faced similar challenges. For instance, the city of Louisville Kentucky recently created a partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
"The group will establish the "Heritage Conservation Fund, a non-profit revolving equity and loan fund dedicated to local historic preservation. In turn, The National Trust intends to use the Louisville model as the basis for a case study, which they will then disseminate nationally to other cities and states looking for creative financing solutions for historic preservation and conservation. Investors have committed at least $2.1 million towards the Fund, which, in turn, will make its first investment in Louisville’s Whiskey Row project.”
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said, "This new fund is a fantastic example of creative and entrepreneurial minds coming together to create what will be a national model for preservation,” He intends to work closely with the Metro Council and other interested parties to apply that same creativity in seeking matching dollars from both public and private sources to meet this challenge.”
WWU student Mathew Hubbard wrote:
“The Granary symbolizes a time when Bellingham residents took pride in their collective work, and this pride was the driving force behind the economic power of cooperatives. Throughout the years, the Granary building has been a part of Bellingham’s community, many changes have occurred to the landscape surrounding it. To suit Bellingham’s economic needs, the waterfront developed around the granary, giving the community resources that provided Bellingham residents with jobs. The cooperative association of Washington built its branch station in the area of Bellingham that was most alive with trade and progress…”
Of course there are community members who believe that we should tear the building down, but there are also a large number of Whatcom County residents who would like to preserve and rebuild the Granary.
We can all agree that Bellingham’s downtown waterfront has a rich history of development and growth. As the businesses and piers along the waterfront developed, the area quickly became the heart and soul of Bellingham’s maritime commerce. In the future, once renovation is complete, the former Georgia Pacific site has the potential to become the crown jewel of Bellingham, providing a thousand or more family wage jobs for the community and many part time jobs for W.W.U students. And the Granary can remain the symbol of Whatcom County's commitment to work cooperatively to build a prosperous economic future for the region.
I realize that it will be expensive to renovate the Granary, but rebuilding our waterfront is much more than just reconnecting the city and its residents with the waterfront - it is a once in a life time opportunity to develop a thriving economic zone that welcomes all, that celebrates our unique and diverse culture and heritage, while it serves to define and set Bellingham apart from other Washington coastal communities.
Our uniqueness and locale represent an opportunity for economic growth for the city and the region that will shape and define Whatcom County for the next 100 years. Preserving the Granary demonstrates that we have the foresight to blend the old with the new, while ensuring that we have a less homogenized downtown landscape.
Please feel free to post links to other articles about the Granary. I will add them to the list below.
Local Articles for review:
The Granary: Washington Cooperative Egg and Poultry Association Building
Mathew Hubbard
The Cascadia Weekly: (Bob Simmons)
Bellingham Herald/News Tribune (John Stark)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/07/18/2218013/fate-of-granary-building-on-bellingham.html
Advocates for preserving the Granary
http://historicbellingham.org/
Advocates for preserving the Granary
http://historicbellingham.org/
Take a look at a new website devoted to preserving The Granary here: http://savethegranary.wordpress.com
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