Leaning Into Legacy
Entrepreneurs infuse new life into historic spaces
BY ELLEN HIATT
Leaning into legacy, history is captured in buildings brimming with character, and spaces are re-imagined with a breath of fresh air infused into aging urban centers.
A few towns like Snohomish have managed to keep historic corridors and save Carnegie libraries.
Redevelopment and restoration of historic buildings is complicated, full of unknowns, and significantly more expensive than tearing down an old structure and building anew.
But it’s worth it. Would the Lodge at St. Edwards on Lake Washington in Kenmore, once a seminary, be built today with the kind of magic that comes with a bell tower and the grandeur of arched window frames over French doors and marble floors? It took $50 million and commitment to the community to restore the 1931 historic seminary into an 84-room luxury hotel.
From Edmonds to Everett, Arlington to Bothell, entrepreneurial and civic spirit is teeming, and spaces of our past are alive again in a re-imagined future. Can you see the trains that once rolled along the old tracks that are now the Centennial Trail, connecting us from Snohomish to Lake Stevens, and Marysville to Arlington? From rail to waterfront, authenticity is found from past to present in old spaces made new again.
BOTHELL
Capitalizing on the love of craftsmanship and historic places, McMenamins revitalizes historic structures like Anderson School in Bothell, whimsically interpreting old materials a new, mixing vintage chandeliers with custom artwork and historic imagery, breathing a second life into courtyards and classrooms.
McMenamins Anderson School
8607 Bothell Way NE, Bothell | mcmenamins.com
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MARYSVILLE
A grand ballroom with chandeliers, tin ceilings, and a theatrical stage and mezzanine are all part of this intimate, yet grand space, perfect for any celebration. The 1911 Marysville Opera House is one of few historic buildings in the city, representing the flush of excitement of a town that just a couple decades before was a humble trading post. Today, Marysville’s manufacturing corridor is taking the city into new territories once more. But celebrations of life’s little moments and community gatherings are still held in its century-old opera house.
The Marysville Opera House
1225 3rd St., Marysville | marysvillewa.gov
Mom ’n Pop hardware stores used to be just the place where the local judge would join a banker or a mechanic to chat over coffee by the pot bellied stove, while the farmer searched for hardware to fix his fence. For 96 years, the worn, oiled wood planks of the cavernous halls of Carr’s Hardware hosted conversations and community.
The former Carr’s Hardware now holds an award-winning family-friendly brewery and taproom.
Owners R.J. and Kristi Whitlow, a local couple with a mission to provide loving care for the community, call it “the continuation of a dream for us, a result of many years of living, loving and learning.”
And it seems a fitting continuation of the Carr’s legacy of building community over fireside conversations, whether you’re offering bolts or beers for purchase.
Five Rights Brewing
1514 3rd Street, Marysville | 5rightsbrewing.com
ARLINGTON
Recreation centers have long been celebrated as a central part of a thriving community. So when the 1954 American Bowling Congress Championship Tournament was completed in Seattle, and the instantly-created bowling alley of 32 lanes was dismantled, six bowling alley lanes were trucked north to Arlington, “finding new life in a brand-new bowling center on Olympic Avenue,” as the story is told by Bowling Alley historian and photographer Kevin Hong.
Not many towns still lay claim to their original bowling alley, but Arlington is lucky to have theirs, where the scoring is still done by hand. John King bought the location in 2023 and serves up hearty portions of comfort food in a family-friendly atmosphere, along with locally brewed beer.
The Alley Bar & Grill
420 N. Olympic Ave., Arlington
The owner of the old building with heavenly high ceilings and a massive skylight to light up the worn wood floors and beams calls it merely “the space,” according to Jill Cash. But to her and Jac Cash, it’s a dream come true. After months of elbow grease and love, the couple opened FauxyFurr Vintage + Handmade to expand on Jac’s talents as a fabric artist. Jac is a master at studying the lines of a face to match the perfect cut, color and texture of a hat she will handcraft of felt or fur. Cowboy boots, flannel shirts, and vintage clothing meticulously chosen, repurposed, or refreshed, all attract the pickiest of buyers with visions of custom couture, achievable at the highest level of craftsmanship but at a bargain price. The couple fulfilled their dreams here, in a 4,000 square-foot restored warehouse, attracting the throngs of visitors and locals alike who find the south end of Olympic Avenue a bustling place any time of year with Arlington’s street fairs and holiday events.
FauxyFurr Vintage + Handmade
105 N. Olympic Ave., Arlington | fauxyfurr.com
EDMONDS
The heart of a community that built an Art Deco beauty in 1939 to educate its children, shines in outsized ways with its lovingly restoration as a civic effort. Today, the old high school lives a new life as a 700-seat performing arts venue. The Edmonds Center for the Arts is a publicly funded facility operating in partnership with a nonprofit to bring world-class performances of music, theater and comedy to the seaside community.
Edmonds Center for the Arts
410 Fourth Ave. N, Edmonds | edmondscenterforthearts.org
The 26-foot-high curved glulam beams of this 1960s-era building once hovered above a grocery store then, in later life, a flea market before its stunning restoration into Salish Crossing, home to some of Edmonds’ best restaurants, including an award-winning pizzeria. It’s also home to Cascadia Art Museum, which pays homage to the rich visual art history of the Pacific Northwest from 1860-1970. The 22,000 square feet of grocery store and the adjacent 60,000 square feet of shopping mall were restored by Nicholas Echelbarger a decade ago. Salish Crossing also has a tie to the Edmonds Center for the Arts, as the original portico of the old high school was removed and now marks the entrance to the waterfront redevelopment. The Crossing thrives as an example of entrepreneurial commitment to past and future success.
Cascadia Art Museum
190 Sunset Ave. S., #E, Edmonds | cascadiaartmuseum.org
EVERETT
As the Port of Everett emerges from its cocoon of historic working-class shingle mills and fishing sheds into a modern waterfront attraction, it has honored its past in no small way by restoring the Weyerhaeuser building in Boxcar Park, a destination for chasing sunsets and chilling beachside. The building, moved three times before landing in its final home, is a showcase for the bric-a-brac and millwork of the region’s giant of lumber production. Inside, the finest floors and trim now host an upscale whiskey bar, with intimate seating on velvet sofas next to fireplaces. The Muse is a whiskey bar by night and coffee bar by day, providing the perfect atmosphere for social gatherings by the Salish Sea anytime of day.
The Muse Whiskey & Coffee (Weyerhaeuser Building)
615 Millwright Loop, Everett | thewhiskeymuse.com
The Everett Ave. façade of brick walls, arched windows and rows of knee braces under the third story eves tell the long history of the Knights of Columbus Hall. What’s inside today, though, is urban creativity, performances of 80s bands and orchestras, break battles, film premieres and DJ dance parties. In the basement, 16Eleven is a swank restaurant with cocktails and mocktails. A stage nearby speaks of the potential of an evening of music under low lights. Weekday or weekends. Lunchtime or dinner.
16Eleven is the bespoke location for art lovers and would-be lovers hoping for a steak dinner and a sneak peek at quite possibly the world’s largest collection of graffiti art.
Apex Art and Culture Center
1611 Everett Ave., Everett | apexeverett.com
