Collins Building awaits preservation — or demolition

The westward view from the upper stories of the old Collins Building, through a few of its 5,000 panes of glass, offers a glimpse into the Port of Everett's future.

Just outside, the Craftsmen District — the first phase of the $400 million Port Gardner Wharf, a public-private marina village — is taking shape, with workers pouring cement for the boatyard. Already complete is a nearby Port operations building and a dry-stack boat-storage facility, the future home of Bayside Marine.

The Collins Building provides the sole remaining glimpse into Everett's early mill-town history. Built next to a mill in 1925-26, the three-story wooden building produced caskets for 70 years.

In two weeks, Port commissioners are expected to make a decision that could determine whether the building will be demolished to make room for a larger boatyard or preserved for future generations.

A year ago, a development group headed by Richard Sullivan signed an agreement with the Port to privately redevelop the building. Included was a timeline for funding goals, beginning with an Aug. 22 deadline for securing 10 percent of the project's costs.

Sullivan says he accomplished that, by offering his personal real-estate holdings valued at $1.5 million as collateral on his planned $12 million project. But the commission, on its attorney's advice, rejected that offer and gave Sullivan until Monday to deposit $1.5 million into an escrow account.

Instead, Sullivan plans to submit proof that he has raised $550,000 for a less ambitious, $5.3 million "phase one" for his project, which would temporarily transform it into a marine-storage facility. He's using his real estate as collateral to obtain a letter of credit from a bank, he said, and the funds will be placed into an escrow account some time this week.

Phase one would stabilize the building's pilings; modernize its electrical, heating, air-conditioning, ventilation and sprinkler systems; install two passenger elevators; upgrade its freight elevator; add three stairways; patch and paint the walls; add exterior lights and landscaping; and install metal storage units on all three floors.

The development group last week secured federal nonprofit status, which will allow Sullivan to seek public and private grants in addition to federal tax credits which can cover 20 percent of the renovation costs for historic buildings.

Phase two, which he estimates would follow in about five years, would create restaurant and retail space on the ground floor. Sullivan said he's in talks with a local radio station interested in leasing first-floor space, too. The Everett Museum, a recently created nonprofit, would take over the second floor for maritime-themed displays, while the upper story would be transformed into offices and artists lofts.

If, that is, the three-member Port commission accepts Sullivan's new terms. The commission is expected to consider Sullivan's proposal at its Nov. 13 meeting.

The Collins Building lies within the boundaries of the 65-acre Port Gardner project, and its preservation wasn't part of the original plan. The Port's site plan approved by the Everett City Council shows a boatyard in its stead.

But the building's defenders caught a break in 2005, when the Army Corps of Engineers required the Port to "explore all alternatives" to save and restore the building as a condition for getting federal permits for a nearby yacht marina, which opened earlier this year.

The Port also promised the Corps it would nominate the building to the National Register of Historic Places; it formally was listed in August 2006.

Port Commissioner Connie Niva says she would support Sullivan's project if he demonstrated sufficient financial resources and planned to use it appropriately for its setting. In that case, she said, "It would be a point of pride in Everett. But if it exists only to become a lonely, empty building, then it will not be an asset for a vibrant waterfront."

If the commission decides Sullivan's financing plans are too unstable and chooses to demolish the building after all, the case could be appealed to the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

Diane Brooks: 425-745-7802 or dbrooks@seattletimes.com