The YWCA Building is a historic Young Women's Christian Association building Bellingham, Washington that was completed in 1915. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and continues to be used by the Bellingham YWCA.[2]
Young Women's Christian Association | |
 The roof contains four eyebrow dormers. | |
  | |
| Location | 1026 North Forest Street, Bellingham, Washington 98225 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 48°44′43″N 122°28′44″W / 48.74528°N 122.47889°W |
| Built | 1915 |
| Architect | Carl Frelinghuysen Gould |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Eclectic |
| NRHP reference No. | 77001367[1] |
| Added to NRHP | April 21, 1977 |
History
editIn 1899, the first YWCA presence in Bellingham formed as a club at the New Whatcom Normal School, what is now Western Washington University. A formal chapter was formed in 1907 which focused on helping women from overseas and rural areas find employment at a time when many new arrivals were tricked or coerced into prostitution. Charles X. and Frances Larrabee donated the land and underwrote construction of the building which was finished in 1915.[3]
Today, the organization provides low cost apartments with a shared kitchen, bathroom and laundry in conjunction with support programs to help women. There is a retail Y's Buys thrift shop at 1224 North State St, Bellingham, WA. The organization also runs a "low barrier" emergency shelter at the First Presbyterian Church where clients are not required to participate in their programs.[4]
Architecture
editSeattle architect Carl Frelinghuysen Gould was hired to design the three-and-a-half-story palazzo overlooking Bellingham Bay. The structure is usually described as Colonial Revival, but is eclectic with elements of Georgian Revival, Queen Anne, and Italian Renaissance Revival architecture. The entrance has a portico with Doric columns and the roof has eyebrow dormers. The brick is in a Flemish bond pattern except for the friezes above the entrance which use herringbone bond.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "National Register Information System (#77001367)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ a b Mariz, George; Richards, Alice (July 10, 1992). Elisabeth Walton Potter (ed.). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory -- Nomination Form: Young Women's Christian Association". National Park Service. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Kahn, Dean (May 26, 2015). "Bellingham YWCA comes full circle 100 years after first helping women start new life". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ Schwartz, Ralph (November 24, 2022). "YWCA to open wintertime shelter for women". Cascadia Daily. Retrieved February 16, 2024.