The Fairhaven Hotel was a grand structure that once stood as a symbol of prosperity and ambition in the Fairhaven district of what is now Bellingham, Washington. Built during a period of rapid growth and optimism, the hotel's story mirrors the boom-and-bust cycle that many frontier towns experienced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Rise and Fall of the Fairhaven Hotel: A Symbol of Fairhaven’s Aspirations
In 1890, the Fairhaven Hotel was unveiled as the crown jewel of the ambitious Fairhaven Land Company, a beacon of prosperity that embodied the hopes and dreams of the burgeoning town of Fairhaven, Washington. Built at a staggering cost of $300,000—$150,000 for construction and another $150,000 for lavish furnishings—the hotel was hailed as one of the finest establishments not just on Puget Sound, but on the entire Pacific Coast.
Construction and Grand Opening
The Fairhaven Hotel was constructed on the northeast corner of Harris and 12th streets, a location that placed it at the heart of the town's bustling activity. The materials used in its construction were sourced locally, a point of pride for the community. The stone came from the nearby Chuckanut and Fairhaven quarries, the bricks were produced by the Fairhaven Brick and Pottery Company, and the lumber was harvested from the region’s vast forests and milled locally. This use of local resources underscored Fairhaven's self-sufficiency and burgeoning industrial capabilities.
The Fairhaven Hotel was a grandiose five-story structure, built in the Jacobethan Revival style by the noted architects Frank Longstaff and H. N. Black. Its design featured seven decorative rosettes, Flemish gables, classical arches, and a harmonious blend of red brick and gray Chuckanut sandstone. The hotel was equipped with every modern convenience of the time, including a hydraulic elevator, gas and electric lights, steam heating, and lavish furnishings of golden oak with brass hardware. The plush carpeted lobby, solid oak stairways, and multiple gaslight candelabras embellished with Victorian shades contributed to the hotel’s opulent ambiance.
On its opening night, the Fairhaven Hotel hosted a gala that epitomized the high society of the time. Guests were greeted by tuxedoed waiters, a common practice in luxurious establishments of the era, and the local sheriff was on hand to politely collect firearms from attendees—a reflection of the rougher edges of the frontier town. Inside, the hotel’s dining room served multi-course gourmet dinners, with 14-course meals available for the princely sum of $10, a fortune at the time.
The Hotel’s Heyday
In the early 1890s, the Fairhaven Hotel was the center of the town’s social and business life. It hosted numerous high-profile guests, including Vice President Adlai E. Stevenson and his wife, who attended a grand ball at the hotel. In 1895, the hotel gained even more fame when Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) stayed there during his visit to the Pacific Northwest. Twain was reportedly entertained at the exclusive Wardner’s Cascade Club across the street, where he enjoyed a game of billiards.
The Fairhaven Hotel’s grandiosity was emblematic of the town’s aspirations. Fairhaven’s founders, including James J. Hill and C.X. Larrabee, envisioned the town as a major terminal for the Great Northern Railway, with the hotel serving as a luxurious waypoint for travelers and businessmen. However, the economic downturn of the 1890s, compounded by Hill’s decision to shift his focus to Seattle, marked the beginning of the hotel’s decline.
The Larrabee Residence and Subsequent Uses
As Fairhaven’s boom waned, the Fairhaven Hotel struggled to maintain its grandeur. In 1899, it closed as a commercial hotel, and Charles Larrabee moved his family into the building, transforming it into their private residence until 1918, when their new home, Lairmont Manor, was completed in the Edgemoor neighborhood.
The 1920s saw the Fairhaven Hotel attempt to reinvent itself, first as the Victoria Hotel and later as the Yoghurt sanitarium, neither of which proved successful. In 1925, a fierce windstorm blew shingles off the hotel’s iconic bell tower, marking the beginning of the end for the building’s historic facade.
In 1937, the Larrabee family deeded the hotel and its surrounding lots to Whatcom County. During the Great Depression, the hotel was repurposed as a women’s sewing center, operated by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). There were discussions about converting the building into a city-county health facility, but these plans never materialized. Instead, everything above the third floor was eventually torn down in a series of renovations that stripped the building of its former glory.
The Final Days and Demolition
By the 1950s, the Fairhaven Hotel had become a shadow of its former self. The building was used by the Fairhaven Boys and Girls Club, and although it hosted wedding receptions and other community events, it no longer bore any resemblance to the luxurious hotel of its heyday. In 1953, a fire gutted the building after a dance, leading to its condemnation. The county sold the property to the highest bidder, who paid $1,200 for the rights to demolish the structure.
Demolition began shortly thereafter, and by 1956, the last remnants of the Fairhaven Hotel were cleared away. The site was sold for $20,000 and became home to a service station, a far cry from the majestic carriages that once brought the social elite to the hotel’s doors.
The Fairhaven Hotel, once the centerpiece of a town’s grand ambitions, ultimately fell victim to the same economic forces that stymied Fairhaven’s growth.
