PORT ANGELES — Even though the fire pole and jail bars are gone, it’s not hard to imagine the past when walking through the Depression-era building that was once a fire station and the town’s City Hall.
Each hallway and door offers a sense of discovery as bare rooms that once housed Port Angeles’ city offices, firefighters and, yes, criminals, are revealed.
“They put everything into the building,” said City Councilwoman Cherie Kidd, adding that it provided a place for residents to pay their water bill “or end up if they had too much fun Saturday night.”
That history is what the city now aims to preserve in the Lincoln Street building, which is next to the Museum at the Carnegie and Veterans Memorial Park — and which it had previously put up for sale.
Restoration, naturally, costs money.
On Wednesday, a small group of city and county representatives, including Kidd, took two staff members of Rep. Norm Dicks on a tour of the building at 215 S. Lincoln St. as one of the first steps toward raising funds.
Dicks represents the 6th Congressional District, which includes the North Olympic Peninsula.
The building, one of three recognized by state and national historic registers earlier this year as the Port Angeles Historic District, is structurally sound but still at risk of being lost because the fill that it sits on is not stable.
“If we don’t take care of that, then we will lose the building,” said Derek Beery, city archaeologist, while on the tour.
The historic district is also composed of the Clallam County Courthouse, veterans park and the Carnegie Library building.
Reinforcing the former City Hall’s foundation and performing some minimal repairs is estimated to cost $230,000.
It’s estimated to cost another $1.05 million to restore the exterior of the building.
City Manager Kent Myers said the building has about two years before cracks start to form because of soil slumping underneath.
After that, it may be too expensive too fix.
Ryan Shauers — a legislative assistant for Dicks from the congressman’s Washington, D.C., office — told the group made up of Kidd, Beery, Myers and county Commissioner Mike Doherty, that the congressman’s staff will explore grant opportunities for the project.
“It’s great to see the community behind it,” he said.
But Shauers noted that congressional earmarks are no longer an option, which will make finding funding more difficult.
Joining Shauers was Judith Morris, Dicks’ Port Angeles staff member.
The city recently gave itself a deadline of six months to find a municipal use for the building.
If that’s not done, it will once again be on the real estate market.
One option being considered is relocating the Clallam County Veterans Center and various services for veterans to the building.
Doherty said the veterans groups have voted unanimously in support of the proposed move.
Two Disabled American Veterans staff people in Port Angeles — Karen Key and Venay Money — said Wednesday they are excited about the idea because it would provide more space.
“Everyone can have their own office,” said Key, a department services officer.
“We can all just be in one place,” said Money, transportation coordinator.
The two-story building was one of two planned for Lincoln Street before it was built in 1931.
Another identical building was going to be built next to the former City Hall where the park now sits, Beery said.
The idea for the second structure was scrapped after the Great Depression hit.
The art deco building served as the city’s first permanent fire station, jail and City Council chambers.
After city offices moved in the 1950s, the building was occupied by a number of private businesses, but the first floor has been vacant since 2006, while the upper floor had a tenant until last year.
The building sits on the edge of a ravine, which at one time encompassed the area where the former City Hall stands and a portion of Lincoln Street.
Myers said there’s no indication that the fill underneath the street is slumping.
The foundation of the Carnegie building next to the former City Hall had previously been reinforced, he said.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.