The YWCA Building is a historic
Young Women's Christian Association building
Bellingham, Washington that was completed in 1915. It was added to the
National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and continues to be used by the Bellingham YWCA.
History
In 1899, the first YWCA presence in Bellingham formed as a club at the
New Whatcom Normal School, what is now Western Washington University. A formal chapter was formed in 1907 which focused on helping women from overseas and rural areas find employment at a time when many new arrivals were tricked or coerced into prostitution. Charles X. and Frances Larrabee donated the land and underwrote construction of the building which was finished in 1915.
Today, the organization provides low cost apartments with a shared kitchen, bathroom and laundry in conjunction with support programs to help women. There is a retail Y's Buys
thrift shop on site. The organization also runs a "low barrier" emergency shelter at the First Presbyterian Church where clients are not required to participate in their programs.
Architecture
Seattle architect
Carl Frelinghuysen Gould was hired to design the three-and-a-half-story
palazzo overlooking
Bellingham Bay. The structure is usually described as
Colonial Revival, but is
eclectic with elements of Georgian Revival, Queen Anne, and Italian Renaissance Revival architecture. The entrance has a portico with
Doric columns and the roof has
eyebrow dormers
An eyebrow is an area of short hairs above each eye that follows the shape of the lower margin of the brow ridges of some mammals. In humans, eyebrows serve two main functions: first, communication through facial expression, and second, prev ...
. The brick is in a
Flemish bond pattern except for the friezes above the entrance which use
herringbone bond
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Bricks may be differentiated from blocks by siz ...
.
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See also
* List of YWCA buildings
* YWCA Building (Seattle)
Built in 1914, the YWCA Building is a historic building in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated a Seattle landmark.
File:Y.W.C. ...
* YWCA Building (Yakima, Washington)
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Whatcom County, Washington
References
External links
YWCA Bellingham
{{NRHP
YWCA buildings
National Register of Historic Places in Whatcom County, Washington
Buildings and structures in Bellingham, Washington
Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state)
Women's club buildings in Washington (state)
1907 establishments in Washington (state)
1915 establishments in Washington (state)
Buildings and structures completed in 1915
Residential buildings completed in 1915
Colonial Revival architecture in Washington (state)
Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state)
Organizations established in 1907