Lawmakers tour preservation projects

Rep. Dave Paul, Rep. Greg Gilday visited Coupeville this week.

By Karina Andrew • April 22, 2022 1:30 am
Photo by Karina Andrew/Whidbey News Group <em>State Reps. Dave Paul, left, and Greg Gilday learn about the historic preservation work that took place in Kingfisher Bookstore from Meg Olsen, the store’s owner. The original harbor door on the building’s lower level was used when the building housed a confectionary.</em>
Photo by Karina Andrew/Whidbey News Group State Reps. Dave Paul, left, and Greg Gilday learn about the historic preservation work that took place in Kingfisher Bookstore from Meg Olsen, the store’s owner. The original harbor door on the building’s lower level was used when the building housed a confectionary.

Two District 10 state representatives visited Coupeville Thursday to check out how preservation funds are being spent.

Rep. Dave Paul, D-Oak Harbor, and Rep. Greg Gilday, R-Camano, helped secure state funding for a series of projects three years ago.

They both said they were excited to see how much progress has been made at downtown locations such as the Haller House, the Coupeville Cash Store and Terry’s Dryer, among others. The representatives were joined by a number of local government officials and historic preservation leaders.

In 2019, the state legislature appropriated $1 million to fund an Ebey’s Reserve Historic Preservation Grant. Funds were awarded to projects at 12 different Central Whidbey sites, all of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Many of the projects funded concerned the buildings’ roofs and foundations, essential maintenance measures to keep the aging structures standing. The Haller House was one such project; the historic building received $196,940 for critical foundation replacements.

Lynn Hyde, executive director of the nonprofit Historic Whidbey that was formed to preserve the Haller House, said the building’s former owner Granville Haller had an extensive and busy history in the area. Stories from Haller’s life will provide ample opportunities for the nonprofit to teach about Whidbey Island and the greater Puget Sound region once the house becomes an interpretive space, Hyde said.

“It’s just a stage waiting for a performance,” she said of the house. “This is what we love about it. It’s really a treasure.”

Terry’s Dryer, also known as Vail’s Wine Shop, also needed foundation repairs and received $25,623 to replace five piles and repaint the building’s facade. The waterfront building has seen many uses throughout the years, first as a fruit and vegetable processing facility in 1897, then as a livery and feed stable beginning in 1908.

The dryer wasn’t the only Front Street structure that got a facelift; the Benson Confectionary, now known as Kingfisher Bookstore, received $21,500 to rehabilitate eight historic wood windows. The building, constructed in 1916, began as a gift store and confectionery. It later became a lunchroom, then a liquor store before becoming a bookstore.

“It’s so nice to see the progress on the projects,” Paul said.

Paul said the reserve’s $1 million request almost did not come through, but the involved organizations were able to demonstrate the public benefit these preservation projects would create. Rehabilitating and restoring historic structures is good for tourism, local businesses and residents, Paul said.

“I just think it’s good to preserve community,” Gilday said, adding that his law office is a restored building from the 1930s. “It’s fun to have the historic buildings in town that people can know as landmarks.”

Other historic buildings that received state-funded Ebey’s Reserve Historic Preservation Grants were the Alexander Blockhouse, the Coupeville Wharf, the Battery Worth Big Guns, Pat’s Place, the Captain Whidbey Inn, Whidbey Mercantile, the Coupeville Methodist Church and the Zylstra House.