Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
The new Sequim Civic Center is on the home stretch. Part of the street has been blocked off as a sidewalk is being poured. And the building has much more color than our last look at it in February.
This view from the other end of the building shows some of the new sidewalk. The local newspaper says that an open house is planned sometime next month after completion and before staff moves in to work. I plan to be part of the local “lookie loo” crowd.
Sequim’s historic grain elevator is the tallest structure in town. The base of the structure was built in 1929 as a storage warehouse; the grain elevator was completed in 1945. It operated as the old Clallam Co-Op until 1977. More recently it was home to El Cazador Restaurant which closed a couple of years ago. In 2014 auctions were planned to sell off the foreclosed property and there was talk of the Museum and Arts Center (MAC) acquiring it. Last July there was news of a “pending offer” to purchase it but I’ve seen nothing since.
This view of the elevator on a clear day shows the Cascade Mountains in the distance to the east.
In a place like Sequim you don’t have to look far to find interesting barns. This one is nestled not far from Costco, which means it’s in walking distance from West Washington, our main street.
Here’s Sequim’s new Civic Center as of last Sunday. There is sheathing now where there was blue insulation when I last updated in December and glass has closed in entrance ways.
The building seems huge to me – easily a full city block. But it will house departments, including the Police, that have not been under the same roof.
I recently came across this shot I took of the old Sequim City Hall in April, 2012. Now doesn’t the new one seem huge by comparison?
I spied yesterday’s berries adorning a graceful tree near the new Sequim Civic Center. I shot various angles as I became increasingly enamored of the fall of the stems. Satisfied, I stepped away from the tree and turned to walk back to the car. “Aren’t you going to shoot the yarn bomb?” said DH. “What yarn bomb?” said clueless photographer.
Thank you, DH!
It’s time for another look at the new Sequim Civic Center. It’s definitely coming along. Now with paneling applied to the exterior walls, it’s easier to visualize its eventual scale.
You can see here the obvious progress since the last shot that I posted in September from a similar perspective.
Here’s another view from what I think is the back of the building.
Last May a spectacular fire destroyed the Baja Cantina and Sequim Consignment Store on Washington Street, leaving a scorched and collapsed shell. The Sequim Consignment Store has since relocated further east on Washington Street. I don’t know whether the Baja Cantina will reopen.
The building owner has been working with her insurance company to evaluate the loss and determine next steps for the charred remains. Heavy equipment descended on the site recently and all that was left the other day was a heap of debris.