A year later, community hopes for revival at site of Terminal Building destroyed by fire

Nearly a year after a fire destroyed the historic Terminal Building in downtown Fairhaven, everyone is waiting to see what comes next. 

The small, unassuming lot on the corner of Harris Avenue and 11th Street is fenced off and covered in a layer of gravel. 

Until late 2023, it was home to a 135-year-old, two-story, wood-framed building with a brick veneer, one of the first commercial buildings constructed during the early development of Fairhaven and a favorite gathering spot for many. Bellingham’s then-mayor Seth Fleetwood, who once had his law office there, called the Terminal Building “the heart of Fairhaven.”

The iconic building, completed in 1888, most recently housed The Old Independent Coffeehouse and Harris Avenue Cafe, along with nine offices on the second floor. Nate Breaux, owner of the cafe and coffeehouse, died in the fire.

Since the fire-damaged landmark was demolished, no activity has been visible on the site, but the community is holding out hope for new development that honors the history of the property. 

Terminal Building owners Kirke and Jim Hestad said that, due to a number of factors, the next steps on rebuilding are complex and will take time. They added that they have “a wonderful, experienced and supportive team helping them through this process.” 

“That spot is sacred to a lot of people, including me,” said David Christensen, a member of the Bellingham Historic Preservation Commission and an architect who designed several Fairhaven projects. “The community is looking at it very closely.”

Devastation in midnight blaze

Just before midnight on Dec. 16, 2023, firefighters responded to the two-alarm blaze at the Terminal Building. 

“It was devastating,” Fairhaven business owner Dana Driscoll remembered about arriving on the scene the next morning. Her shop, Drizzle Olive Oil and Vinegar Tasting Room, sits across 11th Street from the site. 

“We were worried about any lives lost, we were sad to see a historic building crumble,” Driscoll said in November. “And because it was around the holidays, it was really hard for those employees who lost their jobs.” 

Breaux, the 39-year-old owner of the cafe and coffeehouse, had stayed late at work to clean up after a party on Dec. 16 and was reported missing the next day. His body was found in the wreckage 10 days later and it was determined he had died of smoke inhalation.  

Several GoFundMe pages were set up to support employees who had lost work, as well as Breaux’s daughter. Neighborhood businesses put out donation jars, chipped in tips or gave free meals to people impacted by the fire, and the Fairhaven Association collected gift cards to give to tenants and employees. The Hestads expressed gratitude to the Fairhaven Association, their neighbors in the district and the entire community for the outpouring of generosity and support following the fire.  

“Everyone really did come together to help,” Driscoll said. “The Fairhaven community is super supportive — this is the kind of place where, if the snow falls, everyone is out front shoveling each other’s businesses.” 

Dirty Dan Harris Steakhouse, located next to the historic structure, has been closed since the fire due to water and smoke damage. Steakhouse owner Paul Han confirmed in November that restoration is still underway, but news about reopening could be announced as soon as January 2025.  

‘A feeling of gravitas’

Days after the fire, Whatcom County Historian Jeff Jewell called the loss of the building catastrophic.  

“Historic buildings, they have had generations go through them and you can get a sense of it when you go into an old building,” Jewell said. “You get that feeling of gravitas, like wow, there’s a lot of stories that passed through here.” 

The two-story Terminal Building, one of the first commercial structures in the bustling new townsite of Fairhaven, was built between 1888 and 1889. It had been nearly continuously occupied throughout its existence and was added to the National Register of Historic Places Inventory in 1975. 

It housed a progression of businesses including saloons, cafes and grocery stores, and served for decades as a hub for locals and visitors to gather. 

Kirke Hestad said she and Jim were at the property every day the week after the fire, and they overheard many reminiscing about the time they had spent in the building. 

“People were coming out of the woodwork,” she said. “It was very moving.” 

Community members with ties to the landmark are invested in what the future holds for the small lot. 

“I think we can all agree that the best outcome would be to rebuild a similar structure (retail or restaurant/cafe on the first floor, office space above),” Fairhaven Association executive director Heather Carter wrote in an email to Cascadia Daily News. “A pocket park that brought in a history element would also be a lovely addition. We are supportive of what the Hestads want to do!” 

Driscoll confirmed the sentiment. “We’d love to see a small business, something that brings the community together as well as people who visit. It’d be nice if it could offer a tribute to the life lost, the building and its history.” 

She hears from customers, especially Western Washington University alumni, who have fond memories of hours spent studying in Tony’s Coffee, a Fairhaven staple for nearly half a century. She wants to see a similar meeting space on the site. 

“I think a lot of people who come in to see us are looking for a space where they can go have a cup of coffee and read or gather, maybe with rotating artists, live entertainment,” Driscoll added. 

What could be built there? 

Architect David Christensen is very familiar with the Terminal Building site — he once put together his own proposal for the 5,000-square-foot lot.

“People really want something to happen — it’s a really sore empty spot,” he said. “It could be anything from a coffee shop with an open space park to a multi-story building. I know what I’d design for there.” 

Located in the Fairhaven Historic District with commercial core zoning, the site could be home to a 54-foot-tall, four-story, mixed-use building. A new building would need to be ADA accessible, with an elevator, unlike the old building, and grading and parking for residential development would be tricky, Christensen said — the sloped lot has a small footprint and no alley easement. 

A new building would be built under current city fire codes, likely requiring a sprinkler system and smoke detectors depending on occupancy. A CDN investigation determined the Terminal Building had not had a fire inspection since 2018. While the historic building was not equipped with a fire alarm system, sprinklers or smoke detectors, it was considered code-compliant.

According to the City of Bellingham planning department, buildings in the Historic District share a common architectural language and are built mostly of brick and other masonry materials. While Fairhaven facades have a variety of styles, they share visual features like cornices, and recessed window and door openings. 

The Hestads salvaged some of the exterior ornaments of the Terminal Building, including a sign, a lamppost and the Japanese Star Bricks from the veneer, which originated as ballast to balance loads in sailing ships. The historic bricks aren’t structurally sound but the Hestads hope to incorporate them into a future project as decorative elements. 

Fairhaven-specific design standards and guidelines are intended to ensure new construction is compatible in scale and provides a “pedestrian-oriented environment” while drawing on the building traditions of the storied south Bellingham settlement. 

“Anything that happens in Fairhaven shouldn’t copy history, but has to relate to history,” Christensen said.  

He’s in the midst of his own Fairhaven project: several mixed-use buildings on the site of “the pit,” an unofficial gravel parking lot on Mill Avenue and 11th Street. Christensen expects to break ground on the first phase in 2025. He said that between supply chain challenges and rising interest rates, it’s been exceedingly difficult to get construction projects to pencil out in recent years. 

“All the costs have gone crazy since COVID,” Christensen said. 

Remembrances 

In February, Village Books and Paper Dreams, another beloved Fairhaven mainstay, put out a call for photos, art and written memories of the Terminal Building through the decades, saying: “The Terminal Building was more than a building. It was an integral part of our community, bringing us together in so many ways with so many memories.”

Village Books is still accepting submissions, but the Hestads met with the owners of the bookstore in early December to discuss what’s next for the material they’ve received and assembled. Starting Saturday, Dec. 14, the store is hosting a display commemorating the Terminal Building. To accompany the poems, photos and stories from the community, which are also available to view as a living document online at the Village Books website, the Hestads will contribute some memorabilia from the building, including an 1888 silver dollar that had been epoxied into the floor.

The Hestads, with the help of Breaux’s family, will decorate the fence around the property with photos and flowers (donated by A Lot of Flowers on behalf of the Fairhaven Association) in honor of the approaching one-year mark.

“We hope everyone will join us in remembering Nate and his passion for this community,” Kirke Hestad said. 

Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.