Take a walk through history: Restored cannery open to the public
Kevin Harris stands in front of the cannery building on the Port Townsend waterfront, in which hes made improvements to the once-dilapidated building. -- Photo by Erik Hidle/Peninsula Daily News
By Erik Hidle and Leah Leach, Peninsula Daily News
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"I want everyone to come down and see what is going on," Harris said.
What was a rundown brick building behind the Waterman & Katz Building on Monroe Street less than a decade ago is now a state-of-the-art business plaza and condominium building.
Visitors this weekend will see a completed second-story condo — one of the four that will be offered for sale in 2009, Harris hopes — and sections of the commercial boutiques on the first floor.
The building will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and Saturday, and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, with 15-minute tours offered to all who come by, Harris said.
Two studio and two one-bedroom condos upstairs overlook the Admiralty Inlet.
On the first floor, four commercial locations also will have water views.
Harris, who owns a software company in Seattle, hasn't settled on a prices for the condos.
"You won't find a better view in town," Harris said.
"This is it, right here, with the bay and the mountains."
Space is available now in the commercial area on the first floor.
To inquire, phone Quincy Street at the Waterfront at 206-781-5743.
Pricier than expected
In 2002, when Harris and his wife, Rebecca, began the restoration of the structure built in 1885, he estimated he would spend $1.3 million.
Now that it's nearly done — "It's much, much, much higher than that," Harris said.
How much higher?
"I have no idea. I'm scared to add it up."
His loan through American Marine Bank was for $1.8 million, he said, but "that doesn't include any of our own investment."
All the work on building — which was vacant for 40 years before he bought it in 2001 — has been accomplished through private financing, Harris said, and it was definitely more expensive than he had thought it would be
"Any kind of historic restoration is going to be expensive," he said, but this building had unique challenges.
"The brick masons say it was the worst building they've ever worked on. There were holes so big you can see to the outside.
"It would have been cheaper just to tear it down."
But, if the challenges were unique, so is the building.
Unlike other buildings on Port Townsend's waterfront, it sits on a stone foundation — with walls 12-feet thick — instead of pilings.
"The tide comes in under it," Harris said. "It's pretty cool."
It's also one of the last of what were once hundreds of waterfront warehouses, Harris said.
"There's a lot of character to this building," he said.
The building was operated as a cannery in the 1930s to sometime in the 1960s, Harris said.
"At one point, it was the largest producer of canned clams of the West Coast," he was told.
Historical restoration
So Harris, who once was president of the Jefferson County Historical Society, and who appreciates beautiful things, has taken pains over the last eight years to keep the facade historically accurate, and the building's character congruent with the rest of the town.
"Trying to restore it to the standards of historical regulations while making it financially viable is a challenge," Harris said.
"We kept all the historic lines of the building. The footprint is all the same."
Harris said that the only major change was a modest one: the addition of a dormer to the edge of the roof to allow for more headroom on the second story.
Artistic showcase
Harris said he also aimed to make the building an artistic showcase.
"I wanted to call attention to all the local artisans' and craftsmen's work," Harris said.
"We recycle a lot of the old materials in the building."
Wood from the original building was the material for new cabinets and doors.
Old copper pieces were reused to line the doors, roof and create unique art throughout the building.
Handmade railings on the inside and outside were designed by a local metalworker, Dean Mook of Towne Forge of Port Townsend.
A few of the other craftsmen involved were Dennis LaBrie of Cherry Street Builders, Casey White of Rulifsson Woodwork and Todd Fischer, all of Port Townsend.
Inside the condos, the hanging light fixtures are each hand-made by artists and the countertops are made of polished concrete and clam shells salvaged from beneath the building — paying homage to the building's original cannery days.
"It's rough, rustic and intrinsically beautiful," Harris said.
"It's just what I had hoped for it.
"It was a unique property on it's own. I was just trying to do it justice."
Harris has installed a deck wrapping around the building next to the waterfront to allow for public access to the waterfront.
Harris is leasing the old city dock next to the cannery and hopes one day to see it used as a venue for musical entertainment and outdoor plays.
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
Last modified: September 04. 2008 9:00PM