Perched on a half-acre

I had a chance to visit and get a tour of the ornate, Victorian ‘castle’ last week when some clients called and asked me to arrange a tour. They wanted to see if the the 8-Bedroom, 7-Fireplace, 23-room residence with over 6000 square feet could be easily reverted to a Bed and Breakfast. It’s served as one in the past, as well as having been a museum and an antique lamp and lights store(?) — all this after spending only ONE YEAR as the original owner James Wardner’s residence!

On the day of our visit, we met the listing agent at the front gate, and commenced a tour that lasted an hour and a half. I typically don’t bring my camera on showings, but from the moment I pulled up in front of the castle, I knew I had to record the experience. The home is astonishingly well-laid out and adorned with an over-abundance of truly spectacular features, design elements, and VIEWS!

It also needs an astonishing amount of restoration to return it to its original glory. For someone who’s dream is the way of life of restoring a true classic, Wardner’s Castle may be just your ticket. Homes like this one simply aren’t built anymore. It’s a South Hill icon, and it was an absolute pleasure to experience.

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Bellingham is full of structures I love,

I know most people walking into the courthouse probably have more important things on their mind than the architecture of the building.

But personally, I’ve never been able to so much as drive by this modern, elegant structure without gazing at it.

Today, while I was at the City Planning and Community Development office researching a zoning issue, I took a few minutes and snapped the shots below. Enjoy!

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Bellingham has an endless number of structures I love,

Functionally, the Overpass will get you on foot from Boulevard Street  across the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad tracks and into Boulevard Park. (You can say you crossed Warren Buffet’s property!)

Aesthetically, if you’re drawn to busy, rectilinear architecture in a stunning, waterfront setting amidst contrasting, chaotic lines of winter-barren trees and twisting vines, underlain by a perfectly parallel railway arcing infinitely onward… then check out the Overpass.

Or if you love a good grunt and want to run repeats up 9 flights of stairs for a killer workout, check out the Overpass.

Enjoy the Photos!

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Bellingham is full of structures I love, new and old alike.

But more than a century before the contemporary Lightcatcher ever caught one photon of light or brought a smile to a child’s face, the majestic building that began life as “New Whatcom’s” City Hall in 1892 dominated the city landscape. Located at 121 Prospect Street  in the heart of downtown, the Late Victorian-style building constructed of red brick and Chuckanut Sandstone, and designed by local architect Alfred Lee, is arguably the most iconic and beautiful structure in Bellingham.

I absolutely love photographing and just looking at this building. It shares that same omni-present quality that Mt. Baker enjoys, in that you can see if from ALL OVER Bellingham, whether you’re up on the WWU Campus or at the top of Alabama Hill or down on the waterfront… there’s the old City Hall building, lending its beauty to the horizon.

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The Port of Bellingham Holiday Festival was held over this past weekend, and included an interesting sector of real estate — the edible kind: Gingerbread Houses of all styles and floorplans.

Dozens of the tasty creations were on display for the public to see and bid on for purchase — no Realtors involved – all upstairs at the Alaska Ferry Terminal in Fairhaven.

Check out the photo gallery below to see a collection of scrumptious skyscrapers, tasty townhouses, cookie-cutter castles, tree-house treats, sweet single-stories, delicious duplexes, sugary shacks, candy-cane columns and frosted facades. My mouth is still watering!

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Bellingham is full of structures I love,

Skaters, hoopsters, tots on bikes and trikes, picnic lovers, playground rompers, and anyone else who loves to recreate or relax in a beautiful setting in the middle of town should make it a point to experience this magnificent park.

Not one inch of the park was left un-touched during the renovation. From the basketball court to the lush green lawns to the curved pathways to the dedicated “skate spot.” There’s even a monolithic granite bench meant just for skaters to grind. It includes a commemorative inscription to Jeff Reed, a 27-year-0ld local who lost his life to melanoma.

While I was at the park on Friday taking these photos, I met Helen Jackson — a neighborhood association member who helped spearhead the renovation project. She mentioned that it’s been a 3-year effort getting funds and designs together. And she was absolutely glowing with pride at how beautifully it all came together. She shared with me the story of Jeff Reed, and together we enjoyed watching a pair of young skaters catch air off the concrete ramp.

Make it out to the grand opening if you can, or any time you’re in town and want a nice place to relax, think of Franklin Park. Enjoy the photos…

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The structure is owned and managed by the City of Bellingham. They’ve created a brochure with rental rates that you can access HERE, and it includes the following stats about the Square:

• The main building is 5200 square feet with restrooms and a small kitchen;
• The adjacent courtyard is 15000 square feet and includes an…
• 8200 square feet of covered shelters for activity space.

The building isn’t just spectacular to behold and be inside of, but also has some eco-friendly design elements. The steel beams and arches, for example, were salvaged from the old Highway 99 Bridge over the Skagit River. And there’s a rain water catchment and filtering system on the south side of the building.

The Square is leased by the Bellingham Farmer’s Market every Saturday April through December, but is available beginning at 6 p.m. on those days, and can be reserved up to 12 months in advance for any other day of the week year round. To give you an idea of rates, you can rent the 5200 square foot main building on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday night from 6 p.m. to midnight for $300.  Contact the City of Bellingham for more info.

I’d love to throw a party in this space with a thumping sound system and the latest kiteboarding and surfing flics projected on a giant screen while and endless flow of gourmet food and drinks are served.

What’s your dream use for this space? If you want to put together some kind of high energy function, give me a ring. I’m in!

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I find that I often separate out smaller and smaller components of a building, and admire a single part of the whole as an artistic masterpiece all by itself. Today’s images, for example, are just walls. Two individual walls that celebrate the autumnal beauty of this fairytale setting we live in. What a place to call home!!!

This .34-acre park, part of the City of Bellingham Parks and Recreation repertoire –  is bordered by 10th St and Mill Ave on the west and north, and by the iconic bookstore Village Books and Colophon Cafe to the west. The Village Green is regarded as one of the most beautiful, interesting, dynamic and fun-to-visit parks in the Pacific NW. 

It also happens to have a gorgeous post and beam pergola that wraps around three sides to create a courtyard of the central lawn. On the south side is a stage and movie-screen where, in the summer, you can roll out a blanket amongst friends and be entertained by an open air, cine-plex-like showing of a major motion picture.

On any given day of the year, you might find any number of locals or Bellingham visitors taking a rest on the many wood benches sheltered by the pergola, or posting an announcement on the cylindrical notice-board at the north end, or kids splashing in the drinking/pet fountain near the entrance to the Colophon.

Also, if this is your first visit to the Fairhaven Village Green, or your thousand-and-first, treat yourself to a sit-down with the bronze Dirty Dan Harris statue in the Green’s southeast corner. So life-like a representaiton is the sculpture, staring out wistfully to the north with an arm thrown over the back of the bench, that you’ll be compelled to share your innermost thoughts with the man.

Before you click through the photos below, here are a few relevant links you may find of interest:
To access the City of Bellingham’s Parks and Rec site specific to the Fairhaven Village Green, click this link.
For more information on Daniel Jefferson Harris — aka “Dirty Dan” — the founder of Fairhaven, click this link.
For more information on the Village Green’s outdoor cinema, and to see 2009’s movie roster, click this link.
For information on the Dirty Dan Harris Challenge rowing and paddling race, click this link.

Enjoy the photos, and drop me a line with your thoughts!

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The statue was designed and built by Dr. Eugene Fairbanks, a local, retired family physician and talented scultpor. It was dedicated on May 31st, Memorial Day, in 1999.

The bronze statue, depicting a mariner casting a line, is between 8 and 9 feet tall, and rests on a 19-ton block of red granite quarried in South Dakota. On the sides of the granite are carved the names of Bellingham fisherman who have lost their lives at sea.

The statue is a memorial to those men and, as was stated by Pastor Donel McClellan during the invocation, “will celebrate those whom we remember but even more will acknowledge every safe return home as a gift of gratitude and will give thanks for a home port and for a fair haven.”

There is a website with transcripts of the dedication ceremony, photographs of construction and placement, and a story of what inspired the monument to begin with. You can access the site HERE.

I personally have always been moved and somewhat in awe of the statue and its glorious setting on the edge of Bellingham Bay. I’ve been out on the Bay on flat calm days and in 80+ MPH winds with 12′ waves. I hold the utmost respect for the men and women who choose to make their livelihood on the water, locally and the world over. And I hope in a very small way to honor them and remember the ones who are lost by acknowledging this glorious statue.

Enjoy the photos.

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