Bellingham Mayor Kelli Linville honored three businesses at the third annual Mayor’s City Center Awards ceremony at the Whatcom Museum Lightcatcher Building on July 25. The awards showcase and recognize outstanding achievements and exceptional projects that have led to the revitalization of Bellingham’s City Center Neighborhood.
Each year 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.
“I am happy to recognize the Cascade Laundry Building, Pickford Film Center, and Black Sheep with the third annual Mayor’s City Center Awards,” Mayor Kelli Linville said. “The investments of all three projects have improved our downtown’s revitalization and honored legacy buildings in our city core.”
The 2019 City Center Awards were presented to the following organizations/businesses:
Cascade Laundry Building, 203 – 207 Prospect Street, recognized for:
- Adaptive reuse of an historic building
- Façade improvement
- Creating unique commercial spaces within existing buildings
To learn more about the Cascade Laundry Building, watch this short video.
Pickford Film Center, 1318 Bay Street, recognized for:
- Adaptive use of an historic building
- Façade improvement
- Expansion of existing business downtown
- Community outreach, providing free programs for schools, film festivals, rooftop movies, and use of café by the general public
To learn more about the Pickford Film Center, watch this short video.
Black Sheep, 211 W. Holly Street, recognized for:
- Expansion of an existing business downtown
- Activating adjacent public spaces and bringing vitality to the streetscape
- Creating unique commercial spaces within existing buildings
To learn more about Black Sheep watch this short video.
City staff also surprised the Mayor with the first ever City Center Champion Award for her support of downtown over the past eight years, including her focus on providing public access and development on the waterfront and her support of downtown businesses and property owners.
For more details visit the Mayor’s City Center Awards webpage.