Wilson Hotel circa 1925-ish…

 

Guest Post by Darin, Owner of Boccata Deli

This post was made by Darin, owner of Boccata Deli on Tower Avenue in response to the “Village” concept post earlier this month - I thought it deserved front page coverage.   

 When I think of the tag “Village” as it relates to a destination for tourism and entertainment I am reminded of many of the places I have visited which embody the “Village” theme. For instance in Washington places such as; Leavenworth, Winthrop, Camlann, and Gillman come to mind. One of the things I have noticed and felt about these places with the “Village” theme, is just that - it’s a theme. Many of these places are out-of-the-way hamlets that have reinvented themselves to draw tourists and boost their economies. The true villages I have visited are mostly still small towns, often with struggling economies and limited resources, in need of a rebuilding process.

Centralia is going through many changes right now. We are not experiencing a reinvention process but rather a rebuilding process reminiscent of the rebuliding processes surrounding the turn of the 19th to 20th century. The “Boomtown” effect is once again returning us to the status of the “Hub City”.

Interesting Brick & Mortar Facts

With the Wilson getting a bath this past weekend (the first of many – like a multi phase bath roll out   We were taking survey notes on the structural integrity of the mortar that is failing between the façade brick work on the exterior of the building.  We have recently learned that this type of deterioration is expected in the life span of mortar mix.  Here is an excerpt from the U.S. Heritage Group, a company dedicated to the preservation of brick and mortar historic structures.

The mortar life span is only about 50-80 years and it is designed to fail after that span of time.  In fact, by failing the mortar does not compromise the brick which is actually harder than the mortar. It’ s important to understand that historic buildings are very different than modern buildings in several key ways:

• First, historic brick–in particular–is softer than modern brick because modern brick is fired at a much higher temperature than was possible in the past.
• Second, portland cement is used in most modern buildings–but it wasn’t even available in the United States until 1871.
• Third, historic masonry buildings were designed to absorb water and then release it, as opposed to modern building technology, which emphasizes waterproofing.

New Window Signs & the Wilson Got A Much Needed Bath!

 

This past weekend was a productive one!  The window “coming soon” signs were posted and papered over the weekend.  The display signs detail the different businesses that are moving into the Wilson Hotel retail venues.

BoomTown Believing Meets the Tipping Point

Every time I am in the historic village of Centralia (my new term – village instead of city or district – because I like what the word village represents) I am reminded of what potential resides here.  On Saturday night after the El Rancho had closed up shop and the street was quiet as the light rain fell from the sky, we took a stroll down Tower walking our dogs.  With exception of the modern day sign or car here and there, you would have thought the clock had turned back time. 

As we walked the conversation turned to all the things we have grown to deeply appreciate architecturally about the buildings in the village and what drew us to Centralia originally.  On each block we noticed something new – a change that caught our attention.  A new business sign, window display, store front, construction or the like.   The changes seemed to be impact-ful in that they were noticeable.  We remembered a few years back (just after McMenimins Oly Club launch)  when we first came to Centralia and we were in awe of the “bones” of the historic center – but it was exactly that, bones – a ‘graveyard’ of old buildings,

It All Takes Time…

Currently there are a few important factors impacting the timing of the Wilson rehabilitation process: individual designation on the National Register of Historic Places, construction evaluation and planning input from outside contractors/specialists, proper LLC/insurance set up in order to manage the project successfully and getting the building out of the current ‘emergency repair status.’ 

In order for the Wilson project to participate in the valuable Federal Historic Tax Credit program the building must be “individually” listed (set and apart from the annex) on the National Register.  Getting the property listed individually takes a similar step by step process to gaining the original designation.  Currently the Wilson Hotel is listed as a ‘contributing building’ to the Centralia Historic Downtown District and does not have individual designation.  Extensive documentation of the distressed state of the building is essential to acquiring the full benefits of the tax credit program. This program is administered by state and federal agencies and the National Park Service.  As you can imagine with any federal or state administered program the application process is lengthy and extensive.  Maintaining the inherent value of the historic character of the building is essential and documenting the rehabilitation process from start to finish is essential.  The registration process is new to us and we are working through the paperwork as quickly and efficiently as possible learning new elements of the program with each new step. 

Waddles & Wags ~ for the Baby in Your Life… Coming to the Wilson Retail Space

We are excited to announce the new store Waddles & Wags ~ for the Baby in Your Life… is coming this winter to the retail space in the Wilson annex building.  Waddles & Wags is an high end baby and dog accessory store offering children’s (newborn to tots size 4) clothes, toys, artwork, gifts and accessories and upscale ‘doggie dazzle’ products such as collars, leashes, artwork, carriers, toys, outfits and dog related gift items. 

Waddles & Wags will carry a unique mix of products focusing on the latest in both children’s and dog fashions.  You can expect edgy and fashion forward clothing offerings for children, an eclectic collection of artwork and gift items as well as a large collection of “organic” baby goods ranging from clothes to toys.

For dog lovers who consider their pups their “baby,” you will not be disappointed in the amazing collection of dog related accessories.  One very useful and unique item that will be offered is the functional dog rain coat.  These rain coats are flying off the shelves of pet retailers across the nation. 

This delightful mix of baby and dog retail goods will be interesting and sure to please for anyone who loves the special “baby” in their life!

Centralia Historic Preservation Meeting

The Centralia Historic Preservation Commission meets the second Monday of each month at the City Hall at 6:00pm.  The next Preservation Commission meeting is going to be held on October, 8, 2007.

The Historic Preservation Commission is an active group of committed citizens that are devoted to the preservation of Centralia’s heritage.  One outstanding project currently in process is the listing of the delightful Edison District Neighborhood on the National Register of Historic Places.  Once designated, the Edison District will be among the shinning stars of Washington historic neighborhoods.  All community members are welcome to attend the Historic Preservation meetings.

Celebrating Birthdays & Building Business

 

One idea that we read about recently struck a chord with our desire to celebrate life in all we do.  We read about many historical towns that place placards on the front (near the front door or on the front corner) of the building that depicts the building’s original owner, building name or association and the date that the building was constructed.  In Centralia there are several buildings with date indicators on the front stamped into the cement – but we have not noticed any special placards – YET…

The towns that celebrate the birthdays of their buildings throw commemorative parties in honor of the building.  The businesses inside the building typically unite to offer some sort of promotion or sale in honor of the building birthday week or weekend.  Balloons and banners are placed at the site location to draw special attention to the birthday celebration. 

Heritage Tourist Buck$ on the Rise

Did you know that according to the Washington State Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation, “heritage tourists” spent an estimated 8.7 million ‘visitor days’ in WA state spending an average of $72.40 a day.  This resulted in annual statewide spending of about $630 million tourist dollars in 2004. 

Recent surveys suggest that that number has grown as much as 8% over the past three years.  The $630 million was spent solely in ‘heritage tourism’ locations – this does not include travel dollars spent on ALL other tourist destinations statewide.  

Marketing Centralia as a significant heritage tourism destination can massively impact the bottom line of every business located in the historic downtown area.  The economic influence of this potential city revenue is beyond considerable.  Just imagine if Centralia captured just 2% of the statewide heritage tourism dollars = $12,600,000 in revenue would be brought to the historic district.  Just imagine what the future holds for Boomtown bound Centralia!