Fairhaven Neighborhood - Bellingham Washington Real Estate

One of Fairhaven's Founders Honored with a Bust

A bronze statue honoring one of Fairhaven's founding father's was just unveiled this past, October between Flats Tapas Bar and the Rustic Coffee Bar on 11th St. at the entrance to McKenzie Alley in the Historic District in Fairhaven.

The same sculptor who created the Dirty Dan Harris statue on the Village Green, Bob McDermott, has created a bronze bust of Fairhaven builder C.X. Larrabee. Dirty Dan may have started Fairhaven, but it was who Larrabee helped build it.

He was building Fairhaven from 1889 until 1915.

Larrabee and his wife, Frances are well know for donating the land for Larrabee Elementary School, and for Larrabee State Park, Washington's first state park, in 1915. Other donations that don't carry the family name are the land under Fairhaven Middle School, Fairhaven Library, Fairhaven Park, and the land and building for the Bellingham YWCA.

Larrabee made millions in land development, mining, and other business ventures.

Larrabee's investments had a profound effect in the area. They included a bank in Fairhaven, a railroad to Sedro-Woolley, and he bought into coal ventures in Skagit County and in Roslyn and invested in oyster beds on Samish Bay and promoted the bulb industry in Whatcom County.

Labels: Fairhaven History, Fairhaven Living

New Life for an Old Landmark in Fairhaven's Historic District

The Waldron building is one of Fairhaven's oldest and yet newest buildings. Originaly built in 1891 at the height of Fairhaven's first expansion. During that period Fairhaven was one of several cities trying to become the major West Coast railroad terminus, and Fairhaven saw it's first major expansion.
Their were 35 hotels and boarding houses in Fairhaven at that time. It was soon after that Seattle got the railroads, and the bust hit Fairhaven, the economy went bust in 1892 and construction on the Waldron came to a halt, only the first two floors were finished. The top 3 floors of the Waldron were never occupied, until now.

The ground floor saw commercial establishments come and go. The bank of Fairhaven, a stationery store and real estate office were the first occupants of the building. A department store called The Fair, and George Hohl's Feed & Seedwere also occupants of the Waldron.

I remember the mid 1970's in Fairhaven very well, there were 2 infamous taverns in the building, The Kulshan and Fairhaven Taverns. One of the things I did in those years was play washtub base in a Jug Band and we played there quite often.

The Waldron is a historical building that has had it's outside preserved while a new building was practically constructed within to bring it up to current earthquake standards and resurrect it for retail space once again on the ground floor with 6 luxury bay view condos above, and underground parking below. It has been an amazing transformation and a new beginning for the Waldron.

If your interested in seeing the units available in the Waldron, click here.

If you have any questions or want to see any Fairhaven condos feel free to email me at or give me a call at 360-739-6981.

Labels: Fairhaven Condos, Fairhaven History, Fairhaven Real Estate

Fairhavenosity: Getting the feeling of Bellingham

Picture looking at a list of your favorite albums/CD's/8 Tracks (what ever age or level of technical ineptness you find yourself currently). There's the one you ALWAYS talk about, always are telling friends about, always the one you go to for the peace, the celebration of it.

If all the hamlets that made up Bellingham were your music collection, Fairhaven tends to be that album we're asked about when people look for homes in Bellingham.
Fairhaven's edges blur into the surrounding neighborhoods of South Hill, Edgemoor, Happy Valley, and Chuckanut, but the feeling of when you know you're in Fairhaven is quite visual. It's the Firehouse Cafe , converted, and home to a great performing arts venue. Coming up over the hill, and seeing the Ferry Terminal, past the homes that, of late have been selling in less than 60 days (over 60%).

And if ever there were parallels, adages, or parables to be pulled from the draw, the magnetism of Fairhaven, they'd have to be regarding the line a mile long to get in, to breathe in part of Whatcom County that really put our mecca on the map here. It's the festivals, the art boutiques, the Chrysalis, the view of the San Juan's, the cheap seats for watching how the Bellingham Marina is going to turn out, the perch you can forecast how the wind is going to treat the Lummi Ferry this time around.

Your options are endless. Which is sadly where the analogy ends for Fairhaven and Real Estate. Currently there are less than 10 homes, and less than 40 condos on the market through the Northwest Multiple Listing service, though more are making their way onto Craigslist, as are more sellers looking to try their hands at a tough profession at this date. The number of rentals in the area is growing strictly from the fact that though the prices of homes at this point are low, as are interest rates, the uncertainly of the future and the melee strewn across the front page of every paper reports a national slowdown.

Properties that have sold in Fairhaven? Click on this link here

"It's always sunny in Fairhaven." It's a quote friends who live there beam with a grin, when I ask about the weather before a cookout, a night out on the town, or a festival that we're experiencing from a spectator's point of view because I forgot to sign us up for the Ski to Sea in time. And with the demand for Fairhaven homes built a hundred years ago starting in the high $200's and low $300K's, wouldn't it be a great report to read about that over your morning joe?

With a lot of well-planned growth for Bellingham as a whole, and tourism fueling the fires for the trip there, the draws of our area are going to grow. But as it did with Bellingham, it's all going to start with Fairhaven.

If you think a home in Fairhaven is something you'd be open to discussing, feel free to e-mail me directly @ chris@buyertours.com and we can take a few moments to talk.

Chris McNamara BuyerTours Realty, LLC

Chris@BuyerTours.com

360-303-1034

Labels: Fairhaven Condos, Fairhaven History, Fairhaven homes for sale, Fairhaven Sales Numbers, Historical Fairhaven