"There may have been a time when preservation was about saving an old building here and there, but those days are gone. Preservation is in the business of saving communities and the values they embody." - Richard Moe, National Trust for Historic Preservation
The Coupeville Cash Store was built in 1886 and is located on Penn Cove in the downtown historic district of Coupeville Washington on Whidbey Island. It is on the national historic register as part of Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve. The Town of Coupeville relies on tourism and the restoration will benefit the whole community and the Coupeville Historic Waterfront District. Click here to take a photo tour of the downtown historic district. The Coupeville Cash Store is Building 15.
When we purchased the building in August of 2019 our plan was to address deferred maintenance (plumbing, exterior paint, dry rot and foundation), restore historical elements (wood windows, canvas awning and upper deck), relocate elements that distracted from the public view of the building (electrical service and stairway to upper units) and generally spruce up the upper apartments. We had three long term tenants: a restaurant, a yarn shop and a novelty store.
Then, COVID happened, and the restaurant struggled and closed. Then, we discovered that the building was not structurally sound making it necessary to evacuate our remaining tenants (the floor joists and roof trusses had been cut through in prior remodels). Then, with all the problems, one of our tenants decided to retire.
Still, we kept going. We have been steadfast in our commitment to restore the building. When we discovered the structural problems, the wall and floor coverings needed to be removed. This change in scope turned the project into a "major remodel" which then required that the building be brought up to current building codes, including installation of a fire sprinkler system throughout the building.
Almost all of that has been done and the building is now structurally sound. Through it all, we have not compromised on our commitment to actually restore the building: Double Hung wood windows were custom made with the old rope and pulley mechanisms, siding was milled to match exactly the original siding, original floors were carefully removed to be reinstalled after the joists were repaired, all original lumber was kept and is being re-milled for use in the building, paint was stripped from the exterior detailed molding for repair and new paint, the original front door was found under the building and, when it could not be repaired, was remade to match, the original storefront windows were replicated from an old photograph, a canvas awning was custom made consistent with the original awning, electric service was moved to the east side of the building away from the public view, all plumbing and electrical conduit and pipes added to the exterior of the building were removed and rerouted through interior walls, all electrical, plumbing and HVAC were replaced and more.
Honoring the historic character of the building has not kept us from creating a thing of beauty. From the outside, the Coupeville Cash Store has nearly been restored and the building is now structurally sound.
Then, COVID happened, and the restaurant struggled and closed. Then, we discovered that the building was not structurally sound making it necessary to evacuate our remaining tenants (the floor joists and roof trusses had been cut through in prior remodels). Then, with all the problems, one of our tenants decided to retire.
Still, we kept going. We have been steadfast in our commitment to restore the building. When we discovered the structural problems, the wall and floor coverings needed to be removed. This change in scope turned the project into a "major remodel" which then required that the building be brought up to current building codes, including installation of a fire sprinkler system throughout the building.
Almost all of that has been done and the building is now structurally sound. Through it all, we have not compromised on our commitment to actually restore the building: Double Hung wood windows were custom made with the old rope and pulley mechanisms, siding was milled to match exactly the original siding, original floors were carefully removed to be reinstalled after the joists were repaired, all original lumber was kept and is being re-milled for use in the building, paint was stripped from the exterior detailed molding for repair and new paint, the original front door was found under the building and, when it could not be repaired, was remade to match, the original storefront windows were replicated from an old photograph, a canvas awning was custom made consistent with the original awning, electric service was moved to the east side of the building away from the public view, all plumbing and electrical conduit and pipes added to the exterior of the building were removed and rerouted through interior walls, all electrical, plumbing and HVAC were replaced and more.
Honoring the historic character of the building has not kept us from creating a thing of beauty. From the outside, the Coupeville Cash Store has nearly been restored and the building is now structurally sound.
Before Restoration
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After Restoration
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To see step by step photos of the restoration, sign in as our guest at buildertrend.net. User name: Saltyvons Password: Coupeville@1886
Up until now, we have borrowed from the bank, used our personal savings, applied for and received a 2020 Ebey Forever Grant, a Ebey Reserve Preservation Grant, a Coupeville Historic Waterfront Association Facelift Grant and a Historic Tax Credit for Historic Rehabilitation and are still short! We have over $2,000,000 into the building so far and are still about $700,000 short to finish.
We are at the building stage referred to as “okay to cover” which means all of the stuff that you don’t see in the walls is done. What is mostly left is waterproofing the lower floor that still has water coming through from Penn Cove, building the outside decks and stairways, insulation, sheetrock and interior finishes in the units. We have bids and craftsmen lined up to complete the work.
Up until now, we have borrowed from the bank, used our personal savings, applied for and received a 2020 Ebey Forever Grant, a Ebey Reserve Preservation Grant, a Coupeville Historic Waterfront Association Facelift Grant and a Historic Tax Credit for Historic Rehabilitation and are still short! We have over $2,000,000 into the building so far and are still about $700,000 short to finish.
We are at the building stage referred to as “okay to cover” which means all of the stuff that you don’t see in the walls is done. What is mostly left is waterproofing the lower floor that still has water coming through from Penn Cove, building the outside decks and stairways, insulation, sheetrock and interior finishes in the units. We have bids and craftsmen lined up to complete the work.
