Wanted: Mover For Historic Everett Office

March 7, 2016

Everett, Everett Government

house

A look at the current location and where it’s going, courtesy Port of Everett.

Anybody know a good house mover? The Port of Everett is looking to move the Weyerhaeuser Building from its current location at 1710 West Marine View Drive to the Port’s new Boxcar Park in the central marina. Since first appearing on the Everett Waterfront in 1923 the building has been moved two other times. Here’s what you need to know if you’d like to be the third mover…

The Port of Everett has issued a Request for Bids seeking a mover and foundation contractor to relocate one of Everett’s iconic waterfront structures — the historic Weyerhaeuser Building.

The building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is set to make its third waterfront move this summer; this time from its current location in the Port’s South Marina along West Marine View Drive to the Port’s new Boxcar Park in the Central Marina at water’s edge. This move will set the stage for use as an outdoor performance venue and marine clubhouse in the 2020 timeframe.

“We’re bringing the building’s history back to life, returning it to its Milltown roots,” Port Commission President Glen Bachman said.

“Honoring the building in a public venue infused with its lumber and shingle past will not only provide an opportunity to keep Everett’s Milltown history alive for years to come, but also support the Port Commission’s capital initiative of creating a waterfront community,” he said. “Public input called for more high-quality public spaces and a performance venue in the new development, and what better way to provide that to the community than by making positive use of this historic asset.”

This highly anticipated project includes photo documenting the building, constructing a new foundation and readying the site at Boxcar Park, preparing the relocation route in coordination with the City of Everett and Snohomish County PUD, and finally, relocation of the 80-foot by 65-foot, 350-ton structure. The Port anticipates having a contractor on board in late April, with preparation work to begin in May and the building relocation to Boxcar Park in June/July 2016 July/August 2016.

This timeline ensures that the building move does not conflict with construction at Fisherman’s Harbor (the first phase of Waterfront Place Central), anticipated to begin in mid-2016. It also allows the Port to avoid a height clearance conflict related to the future construction of the City’s Grand Avenue Park Bridge expected to begin construction in the late-2016/early-2017.

Unlike previous moves for the building, this move will take place by land instead of by water, and will occur at night. The project site and relocation route will be secured. Those wishing to observe the move are directed to Grand Avenue Park on the bluff above the Port of Everett Marina. The Port will photo document the move and those photos will be made available to the public.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the project, including site preparation, relocation route and more.

About the Historic Weyerhaeuser Building

The historic Weyerhaeuser Office Building’s ornate Gothic-style structure was erected in 1923 at the company’s first Everett plant. Architect Carl Gould was commissioned by the Weyerhaeuser Company to design a 6,000 square foot, one-and-a-half story building that would showcase local wood species such as fir, cedar and hemlock.

The Weyerhaeuser Company was Everett’s largest employer for decades, and the structure resided at two of its largest plants. The Weyerhaeuser Office Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Today, the building serves as a reminder of the once abundant and productive lumber and shingle industry that contributed to the evolution of the vibrant Everett waterfront.

The historic Weyerhaeuser building was originally located at Weyerhaeuser’s Mill “A” plant, about one mile south of Waterfront Place in today’s international Seaport. In 1938, after Mill A was converted to a pulp mill, the building was moved to Mill B located on the Snohomish River on the east side of Everett. It served as office space until that mill closed in 1979.

In 1983, the structure was donated to the Port of Everett and barged back down the river to its current home on the waterfront. The building’s two voyages made it a point of public interest and affection. In 2016, the building will be on the move again to the Central Pier of Waterfront Place to serve as the centerpiece of the new Boxcar Park.




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