This Abandoned Hotel in WA was one of the finest in this lumber town

Hotel Laube, Bellingham Washington

Date added: November 13, 2023 Categories:

Front of building, looking southeast (2000)

The Hotel Laube was of the finer of those built at the turn of the century in Bellingham, and no expense was spared on its furnishings. On February 3^rd, 1904, the day the hotel opened, the Daily Reveille reported that the new Hotel Laube was "one of the best-equipped hotels on the Sound," and was "up-to-date in furnishing and arrangement." The proprietors, Messrs. Hadley and Griffith, were said to have "accomplished their purpose of making it a model of comfort and convenience." Hadley and Griffith were well-known hoteliers and had conducted Bellingham's Hotel Byron for five years.

The total cost to furnish the hotel was estimated at approximately $12,000, with the hotel furniture being crafted of the "best solid quarter-sawed oak, birds-eye maple and mahogany." The beds were iron and beautifully finished, and the carpets were the best grades of velvets and body Brussels. Birdseye maple was matched with light-colored carpets, and the oak with carpets of Persian and Oriental designs.

Typical of urban residential architecture of the period, the hotel was built in a shape approximating an "O" around a centrally located light well that rose from the second and third floors up through the roof. The presence of natural light in hotel rooms during the turn of the century was highly valued, and the Laube advertised that "none of the 51 rooms on the upper two floors were dark." There were six large front rooms, four of which were connected to a smaller room that was equipped with bath and toilet accommodations. The halls throughout these floors were covered with heavy, red velvet carpets.

Characteristic of many hotels built during this period, the Laube included multiple-room units as a percentage of its guest space. Many of the single rooms were connected by locking doors to adjacent rooms, allowing rental of multiple-room units. This flexibility led to advertising for single rooms or rooms "en suite" or "in suite."

The 1904 Daily Reveille article also proclaimed that the hotel cafe on the ground floor was "one of the finest on the Sound," and "could comfortably seat eighty guests with only four at a table, and yet leave room for several more tables..." The report also boasted that "the coffee, pastry, cream and butter are kept separately in an opalite refrigerator which is the best that money can buy." The kitchen was sizable and well-provided with all the necessary appliances. The steam table, with a porcelain top, was a prominent feature, serving four large meat dishes, four gravy dishes, one large soup dish, and four vegetable dishes. (By having four separate meat dishes a better class of food was guaranteed.) The range was a top-of-the-line 10' long three-oven French model.

The hotel office was located to the left of the cafe on the ground floor and was large and well-lighted. The washrooms were located to the rear and were large and commodious. Just above them was the reading and writing room, located in a quiet corner, furnished with six individual writing desks and one large library table. The floor was covered with a fine Brussels carpet, and the furniture was solid oak.

Area History

It could be said that the town of what is now known as Bellingham began as a result of the great San Francisco Fire of 1852. During this time, a premium was being paid for the huge quantities of lumber that were needed to rebuild the California city, and entrepreneurs Henry Roeder and George Peabody knew that there were vast tracts of usable timber in the Northwest. They also knew, however, that to make an operation viable, power and transportation were necessary, which in those days meant transport and power by water.

With this premise in mind, the two entrepreneurs headed north looking for a waterfall close to saltwater. They had heard of a waterfall at Tumwater, but on arriving there they found a mill already under construction. Disappointed, they headed to Seattle by canoe and found the Yesler and Denny mill already under construction. Moving on a little farther to Belltown, again they found another mill already in operation. The two men were reaching the end of their possibilities for not too far north was the British line, which they could not work to advantage. Arriving at Fort Townsend they heard of a waterfall in Bellingham Bay and with two Indian guides, set out for it. The music of the waterfall at what is now known as Whatcom Creek was made all the more sweet when they found the falls unoccupied.

Roeder and Peabody's first step was to establish friendly relations with the local natives, which they did, in the person of Chief Chowitzit of the Lummis. Chowitzit not only gave the two permission to set up the mill, but also gave them what we currently know as Whatcom Falls, the land surrounding it, and enough men to help raise the mill.

The mill began operation in the summer of 1853. The first town on the bay was called Whatcom. To the south lay the town of Bellingham, and beyond Bellingham at the southernmost end of the bay was Fairhaven, both founded in 1853. Between these two towns to the south, and just southeast of Whatcom, began the town of Sehome in 1854. At its inception, Sehome was a company town for the coal mining operations in the area, which operated from 1858 to January 1878. When the mines closed the company transferred its properties to the Bellingham Bay Improvement Company under the leadership of P.B. Cornwall.

The four towns experienced periods of boom and bust over the following decades, finally gaining a brief footing in the 1890s through investments made as a result of railroad speculation. This boom ended with the "Panic of 1893," but by the turn of the century the economy had revived and the towns that would consolidate as the city of Bellingham were experiencing an unprecedented building boom. This period would extend from 1900 to 1915, during which many of Bellingham's grandest buildings were constructed.

The historic period (1900 - 1915) in Bellingham's commercial development was characterized by the resolution of the rivalry between the towns of New Whatcom (Sehome and Whatcom had consolidated in 1891 as New Whatcom) and Fairhaven (Fairhaven had annexed "Old" Bellingham in 1890), their consolidation as the city of Bellingham in 1903, and the vigorous economic growth that followed. This period also saw the central business district of the town of New Whatcom ascend over that of Fairhaven.

The building boom was fueled by the rapid and robust growth of the salmon packing business, the growth of the lumber industry, and the primary position Bellingham had gained as the main hardware wholesaler for a large area. The area of the former town of Sehome had become the commercial and transportation hub of a four-county area, and much of the boom construction took place within its bounds, as well as in Whatcom. Over time, the core of Whatcom's business activity moved south and east towards Sehome, and Sehome's business district moved north to meet Whatcom. Business converged at Holly and Elk Streets (currently known as State Street), with Elk Street becoming the financial hub of Bellingham.

Several indicators in infrastructure and commerce demonstrated the momentum that Bellingham was building as an economic center. By 1903, there were several factories making pitch products, including tar and turpentine. Pacific Alaska Fisheries opened in 1905, taking over a large, local company, and became the largest salmon packer in the world. Many new canneries opened in the last few years of the 1890s, and by 1901, 12 of 19 Puget Sound canneries were operating in Whatcom County. 1901 was an exceptional year for salmon. By 1904, there were six large established and fledging lumber and shingle mills on Bellingham Bay; the Simonds, Loggie (the largest Red Cedar Mill in the world), Morrison, Bloedel-Donovan, E.K. Wood, and Puget Sound Sawmill and Shingle, the largest shingle mill in the world.

During this time Bellingham was also developing into the primary wholesale marketer for Northwestern Washington, its territory stretching to the borders of King County and extending into Clallam County and British Columbia, primarily serving the lumber, logging, and canning industries. In 1907 there were more than a dozen wholesale establishments in Bellingham, doing over $2,500,000 worth of business.

Sehome had several advantages over other towns on the bay. One was that it had deep water access provided by the Sehome Dock, which was at the South end of Dock Street (currently Cornwall Avenue). Whatcom had been obliged to build a dock parallel to the outflow of Whatcom Creek, the Colony Wharf, that stretched a mile out into the bay to reach deep water. This was inconvenient, and by 1904 the dock had fallen into disrepair.

The other great advantage was that Sehome had a benefactor. It was the company town of P.B. Cornwall, who was determined to see the town succeed. Cornwall had great power at his disposal in the form of wealth and enormous federal land grants deeded to him on either side of his railroad, which ran right into Sehome, providing him with the power to influence local development to work in his favor.

As Sehome developed, commercial activity centered along Elk Street and spread to the north and west. The train station was located one block west of Elk Street on Railroad Avenue, and approximately one block further was the Sehome Dock. The downtown area was fed locally by an extensive streetcar system, which allowed for a dense and well-developed urban area, of which Sehome became the transportation hub.

By 1903 this transportation hub was well developed. The railroad and streetcar system created in the early 1890s had aided this growth, and in 1902, the B.B. & B.C. Railway extended its line east to Glacier, giving Lynden and the north county access to Bellingham. This line was also close to Sumas, giving better access to the Fraser River population centers. Water transportation at that time was more extensively used than ground. Of primary importance was the Sehome Dock, which gave Sehome both local and far connections. There were regular runs by several steamship companies to Victoria, Seattle, the San Juan's, and to farther points such as San Francisco.

In 1903, Sehome/Bellingham was flush with cash from a surging economy and a fishing boom, influence over a wide area, and transportation links to these areas. On the heels of these events and a rapid increase in population came a building boom. A number of hotels were built in the area as a result of the industrial and commercial vigor of the town. The construction of these hotels reflected the rapidly growing population served by improved transportation opportunities, as well as the economic expansion resulting from the investment of local and East Coast interests.

The development of hotels in Bellingham in the early 1900s represented an important step in the advancement of the velocity, volume, and quality of commerce in the entire area. The "Hotel Laube" was strategically located a few blocks from Bellingham Bay on Elk Street, one of Bellingham's original main commercial thoroughfares. Elk Street had the benefit of proximity to a variety of transportation systems. Photographs from the early 1900s attest to the commercial vigor and primacy of Elk Street during the early 20^th Century, showing a densely developed street with retail establishments, restaurants, offices and hotels solidly lining both sides of the street.

Building Description

The Laube Hotel, built in 1903 at 1226 North State Street, is an excellent example of early twentieth-century brick commercial-style architecture. A three-story red brick structure constructed with exterior load-bearing walls and interior wood framing, the 55' wide x 125' long building rests on a concrete foundation and has a flat roof protected by built-up tar. (The building has no basement.) Located on the east side of State Street in Bellingham, Washington, the building's primary facade faces west and features classically inspired decorative elements including a cornice, articulated parapet, string courses, and other structural features.

Decorative features are absent on the rear and sides of the building. This was typical of commercial architecture of the period, which placed primary importance on the front facade. A one-story building adjoins the Laube on its north (side) facade, above which the only disruption of a solid brick face are two widely spaced window openings located at the second and third story levels. The faint ghosts of painted advertisements, one promoting the "Hotel Laube," can still be read on this wall. The building's south wall is connected by a party wall to the adjacent Windsor Hotel. Together, the two buildings present as a singular unit, although each has its own distinct style.

Numerous window and door openings exist on the rear facade and are spaced with some regularity across the building face. Three-course brick arch headers span the tall, narrow, double-hung, one-over-one windows, which rest on sandstone sills. Access to the rear of the building is gained from the alley. The grade rises approximately 10' from the front of the building to the back alley, and ground-floor entry is gained through two doorways located in a sandstone-lined stairwell. Two concrete stairways lead up to two of four doors located at the second-story level, providing access to hotel rooms from the alley.

West (Primary) Facade: Representative of mixed-use commercial buildings of this size built in the early 20^th Century, the Laube's main facade is divided into two distinct zones: the street-level commercial zone, and the upper-story zone, which housed the second and third-floor residential hotel rooms. The upper story zone retains excellent historic integrity, but the lower zone has undergone a number of alterations over the years. Regardless of these changes, the street level's overall facade configuration remains, and its original purpose as a commercial space can be read from the character-defining features that remain.

The two zones are visually separated by an expanse of sandstone that serves as a sill for second-floor windows. This sill has dentiled brickwork beneath and spans the front of the facade, terminating at brick and sandstone brackets near the edges of the building.

The upper story zone has an articulated face that presents as three vertical sections (a central "bay" flanked by two slightly receded faces). The second and third floors are characterized by tall, slender, symmetrically-placed rectilinear window openings grouped in pairs and located on either side of the central bay. These are vertically aligned and detailed with contrasting sandstone lintels and sills. Windows located within the central bay section are narrow and set in pairs. All upper-story windows are double-hung, one-over-one sash with lamb tongue detailing, many with original glazing. Pilastered brickwork flanks the third-floor window ensemble at each end of the building face. This ensemble is terminated at the parapet by a gabled brickwork piece, which is central to a decorative brick relief cornice and dentil detail.

The ground floor of the Laube Hotel's primary facade consists of two 18' tall open structural bays capped with a large steel beam that spans the entire face of the building. This beam is supported by two slender cast iron columns that frame the centrally-located front entry stairwell, which provides access from State Street to the second-story lobby. The entry is flanked at street level on either side by commercial bays, and although it has been renovated with a glass and steel door and the transom has been obscured, the entry retains its original location. Pillars laid of rough-hewn sandstone frame the commercial bays at either edge of the building.

The two street-level commercial bay sections have also undergone changes over the years. Access to these two commercial areas was historically gained through centrally-placed, recessed doorways flanked by expansive glazing, a typical configuration of the period. These sections have been altered to accommodate new uses over time, and currently, the entirety of each bay is obscured by a combination of modern materials, punctuated by randomly placed door and window openings.

The mezzanine area above the commercial space remains but the fenestration has been altered. The northern bay has been largely covered and has only one glazed opening. A ribbon of eight fixed lights expands the length of the south commercial space opening. Entry to the mezzanine area is gained from the interior of the northern commercial space.

The ground floor commercial space of the Laube Hotel has undergone renovation over the years and has low historic integrity. A tavern currently occupies the southern section, and a restaurant in the northern section. The interior features of these establishments are generic, with alterations made over the years according to commercial needs at the time. The mezzanine level, which is accessed from the rear of the restaurant, is currently used for storage.

The lack of integrity on the ground level is redeemed by the excellent integrity of the two upper floors, which functioned as a hotel/rooming house up until 1983. Currently vacant, the second and third floor configurations remain intact, and character-defining features such as hardware, wainscoting, trim, stairways with balustrades and other millwork remain in good condition.

The hotel retains all of its 51 rooms, each one fitted with a basin with hot and cold running water. Historically, most rooms shared common bathrooms, though a few had private bathrooms with clawfoot tubs. A common feature of hotels of the era was the careful provision made for each room's access to natural light and ventilation. The Laube's residential rooms on both floors provide numerous examples of this architectural concept. Double-hung, one-over-one windows open either directly to the outdoors, or to interior skylight "wells". The hotel's main skylight feature is a large, 13 x 53" rectangular light well located in the center of the building around which the majority of the rooms are grouped. Two smaller light wells - one a triangular 3' x 3' shape and the other a 3' x 3' square - were built near the front of the building to provide light shafts to several of the interior rooms. A large, hip-roofed skylight provides the third floor lobby with an abundance of natural light. The original glazing of the third floor skylight and the two small wells remains intact and can be observed from the roof. The large rectangular well has lost its glazing and is currently obscured with a tarp.

Access to the upper hotel floors from N. State Street is gained through a centrally-located entry and stairway flanked with original wainscoting. The stairway ascends to a second floor lobby stairwell, which is enclosed by a substantial railing with turned balusters. The stairway terminates to an open lobby, into which the manager's office extends. The original residential call box remains intact and in good condition in the manager's office. Windows from the interior rooms open into the lobby and are trimmed with milled headers and cap molding. Lobby walls are lined with wainscoting, and milled baseboard runs the perimeter, terminating at corner blocks with acom tops, and at doorways plinth blocks. Picture rail located 7' from the floor lines the lobby walls, and corner rounds accentuate many of the outside corners. Most of the interior doors are three-panel fir topped with working transom lights. Woodwork remains unpainted in the lobby and retains its original stain and shellac finish. Hallways along the north and south walls of the second floor are 6' wide and provide access to the rooms that border the central skylight well. Access to the front rooms (facing State Street) is gained through the lobby.

A stairway with balustrade ascends a wainscot-lined hall and landings, leading from the second to the third floor lobby. An entry vestibule added in the 1970s to satisfy fire safety code requirements extends into the third floor lobby space. Although this addition is not compatible with the original design of the building, it is not irreversible and does not diminish the grandeur and architectural features of the space. A large hip-roofed skylight that caps the entire lobby area sets the space awash in light. Picture rail, interior windows, and wainscoting all remain intact and in good condition with their original shellac finish.