An Under-Appreciated Example Of Modernism Sits At The Cliff Of Its Demise — If there ever was the purest example of stark, beautiful modernism in Bellingham, WA, this is it — but not for long. The destruction of this outstanding example is due any day now. I miss it already. Built circa 1957 at 1811 C Street, the building's unknown architect gave it…

An Avalanche Tragedy Memorial And Its Story Quietly Beckon — On the WWU campus in Bellingham, WA, a quiet memorial honors six students and alumni who lost their lives in a tragic Mt. Baker avalanche on July 22, 1939. …

A Shrinking Strip Of Sidewalk Curb Hints At A Lost Shopping Center — In the early 1950s, when Ben Haggen and Doug Clark reached another rung of wholesome success in the local grocery business, they also outgrew their latest grocery store in downtown Bellingham, WA, called The White House. …

An Enormous Piece Of Whatcom County Railroad History Awaits An Uncertain Future — Hiding under damp maples in a gloomy and forgotten, forested byway of Whatcom County, WA, and far removed from the self-absorbed roar of the freeway, the myopic hustle of box store parking lots and frenetic busy-bee intersections, is this incredible piece of railroad equipment. Some readers will recognize it as…

The Roeder Home’s Lost Water Features May Have Left Us A Few Clues — The stately, historic Roeder Home in Bellingham, WA, wasn’t only surrounded by green lawns, an orchard, and charming gardens in its early years. Built by local banker Victor A. …

In a Neighborhood of Rectangles, One Venerable Garage Stands Out — While Bellingham, WA is flush with vintage Arts and Crafts houses and their well-seasoned counterpart garages, one thing that is not common is a round-fronted garage. This highly unusual example in the above photo happens to be one that came back from neglect. I first noticed it years ago when…

Still Standing On Sehome Hill, Three Forgotten Utility Poles Leave Only Guesses — Piercing the forested scalp of Sehome Hill Arboretum, in Bellingham, WA, are several old utility poles. While it is evident that many public local agencies have used the hill as their telecommunications and utility pole pin cushion as far back as 1950, and perhaps even earlier, just how old these…

Only Traces of the Recently Dismantled Pedestrian Bridge Remain — For Now — Many remnants I highlight in my blog are the historical fingerprints of greater things that disappeared long ago. However, in this post are some details from a younger Bellingham WA feature, which departed quite recently. Up until 2019, at Boulevard Park, there was a weathered, pedestrian trestle overpass and stair…

A Short Pedestrian Tunnel Reveals Both An Earlier Purpose And The Closing Of An Era — I had not lived in Bellingham, WA, for a week when I first walked through this tunnel. Residing as I was at the top of Liberty Street with the forested mountain of Sehome Hill Arboretumin in my backyard, it was only a matter of days after settling in before I…