Bellingham Mayor Announces Second Annual City Center Awards

Bellingham Mayor Kelli Linville honored four businesses at the second annual City Center Award Ceremony on July 12 at the Pickford Film Center. These awards showcase and recognize some of the outstanding achievements and exceptional private projects that have led to the revitalization of Bellingham's City Center Neighborhood (also known as downtown Bellingham). "One of the best things about Bellingham is our great downtown, and preserving our historic buildings will keep it that way for years to come," Mayor Kelli Linville said. "That's why I'm so grateful for the revitalization efforts put forth by our City Center Awardees and other businesses downtown that preserve and protect what connects us to Bellingham's unique past." The Mayor selects property owners, businesses, and/or organizations as awardees based on a set of criteria that includes outstanding restoration, rehabilitation, or renovation of an existing building; creating unique residential and commercial spaces within existing buildings; activating adjacent public spaces; and other actions that improve the quality of life in Bellingham's City Center. The 2018 Mayor's City Center Awards were presented to the following organizations/businesses: Hamlet Hotel – 1220 Railroad Avenue Categories:

Adaptive reuse of a historic building
Created second-story short-term rental units

To learn more about the Hamlet Hotel, watch a short video showcasing their work. Co-op Bakery Café - 405 E. Holly Street Categories: Adaptive reuse of an existing building Expanding existing downtown business Bringing vitality and activity to the streetscape To learn more about the Co-op Bakery Café, watch a short video showcasing their work. Camber – 221 W. Holly Street Categories: Exterior and interior improvements Bringing vitality and activity to the streetscape To learn more about Camber, watch a short video showcasing their work. Faithlife – 1313 Commercial Street Categories: Exterior and interior improvements to historic buildings Expanding an existing downtown business Bringing vitality and activity to the streetscape To learn more about Faithlife, watch a short video showcasing their work. For details of the awardees or more information, please visit the Mayor's City Center Awards webpage.

We acknowledge that Whatcom County is located on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples. They cared for the lands that included what we’d call the Puget Sound region, Vancouver Island and British Columbia since time immemorial. This gives us the great obligation and opportunity to learn how to care for our surrounding areas and all the natural and human resources we require to live. We express our deepest respect and gratitude for our indigenous neighbors, the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe, for their enduring care and protection of our shared lands and waterways.