What Is the Daylight Building?
This is a multi-use commercial building, even today!
What Makes It Historical?
For the first fifteen years of the 20th Century, Bellingham was in a building boom! In its hopping Central Business District, sensibilities in architecture were sliding away from ornate, Victorian styles and more toward sandstone, brick, and concrete to make an entire district more unified! The Daylight Building itself was one of the earlier ones (1904), designed for Thomas Lane and Tom Lynn by Frank C. Burns, who’d also designed the Aftermath Clubhouse! Meant to house commercial space on the bottom level and office space on the top, it got its name “Daylight Building” from its many windows and skylights, which maximized the sunlight! The building survived two fires in 1926 and 1928, but despite catastrophic losses, the building persisted. Tenants over the years have included grocery stores, auto repair, law offices, beauty salons, a newspaper, and more!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer with the Whatcom County Historical Society!
- Become a member of the Whatcom County Historical Society!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
1201 N State St
Bellingham, WA 98225
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
There are different businesses with different hours here, but you can get coffee on the first floor daily from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM!