History
The Bellingham Herald Building was built in 1926 for the Bellingham Publishing Company, and is a striking representative of Late Gothic Revival architecture. Designed by Bellingham architect Frederick Stanley Piper and Seattle architects Morrison & Stimson, the Herald Building’s design featured a fabricated steel structure – reportedly the first steel building erected in the west with gypsum fireproofing. Fear of fire, after numerous downtown Bellingham fires, likely inspired the fireproof construction of the Herald Building.
Piper designed the building with quality interior finishes, including Philippine mahogany trim, bird’s eye maple flooring in the offices, terrazzo in the hallways, and marble in the lobby.
The building’s floor plan included 140 offices, accessed by twin elevators, with the newspaper to be housed on the first floor and rented offices on the upper floors.
