The Whatcom Museum (housed in the Old City Hall, Lightcatcher building and Syre Education Center) was originally built in 1892 as the city hall for the former town of New Whatcom, before it was joined with surrounding towns to form Bellingham, Washington. The building was designed in a Late Victorian style by Alfred Lee, a local architect, who used red brick and Chuckanut Sandstone for its construction. The design itself was an almost exact replica of the second

Saginaw County Saginaw County, officially the County of Saginaw, is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 190,124. The county seat is Saginaw. The county was created by September 10, 1822, and was fully orga ...

Courthouse in

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

(1884, Destroyed 1971), Designed by Fred W. Hollister. At the time of construction, the building was situated on a bluff above Bellingham Bay. However, over the years, significant amounts of the waterfront were filled in to make more land. Currently, the building sits above Maritime Heritage Park. The building served as city hall until 1936, and became part of the museum in 1941. In 1962, the fire damaged the building, but efforts from the community raised money to restore the building.Kirk, p.222 In 2009, The Whatcom Museum opened a location in the newly designed Lightcatcher building. The Lightcatcher, designed by Seattle-based

Olson Kundig Architects Olson Kundig, is an American architectural firm based in Seattle, run by architects Jim Olson and Tom Kundig. Founded by Olson in 1966, the firm’s work has grown to encompass museums, commercial and mixed-use design, exhibit design, interior des ...

, is named for its 37 feet high and 180 feet long translucent wall, which facilitates a number of energy saving strategies. Currently, the Whatcom Museum is a three building campus that includes Old City Hall, Syre Education Center and Lightcatcher which encloses the Family Interactive Gallery (FIG).

References

* Kirk, Ruth; Alexander, Carmela (2003). ''Exploring Washington's Past'', University of Washington Press. * McQuaide, Mike (2006). ''Insiders' Guide to Bellingham and Mount Baker'', Globe Pequot. * Mueller, Marge (1995). ''North Puget Sound '', The Mountaineers Books.

External links

Whatcom Museum
- official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Whatcom Museum of History and Art Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state) Government buildings completed in 1892 Former seats of local government Museums in Bellingham, Washington Art museums and galleries in Washington (state) History museums in Washington (state) Children's museums in Washington (state) National Register of Historic Places in Whatcom County, Washington Museums on the National Register of Historic Places 2009 establishments in Washington (state)