Terminal Building (1888/1889)

1101-1103 Harris Avenue

Late 1890s Photo courtesy Whatcom Museum

The oldest continuously occupied commercial building in the Fairhaven Historic District is the Terminal Building on the northeast corner of 11th Street and Harris Avenue.  Built  1888-1889 in the High Victorian Italianate style, this structure was first called the Evans-Fick Block after two of its owners Evan Evans and Henry Fick.

There are two retail spaces on the ground floor: 1101 Harris Avenue on the corner and 1103 Harris Avenue, adjacent.  Denny Butler’s Sideboard Saloon was an early occupant of the first floor corner space with George D. Pierce’s barbershop adjoining.  An early occupant of the 1103 space was Jarvis and Odell Cigars and Billiards. The second floor, originally designed as residences, became much demanded office space for various businesses, especially real estate, reflecting the boom years of 1889-1890.

Several tenants have occupied the spaces over the years, and in 1933, Will Berthiaume opened his Terminal Store on the first floor corner with a soda fountain and sundries that catered to those waiting for a trolley at the terminus of the electric streetcar line connecting downtown Bellingham with the “Southside”.  This is most likely the beginning of the current reference to “Terminal Building”.

The Terminal Building is one of two buildings in the Fairhaven Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Today, Tony’s Coffee occupies the corner space, and the Harris Avenue Café adjoins at 1103 Harris. 

Tenants Through the Years

Architectural Details

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