Alas, the trains never came.
 
Fairhaven dreams of rapid growth ended with the selection of Seattle as the railroad’s terminus and solidified by the panic of 1893. 
 
Even though the hotel hosted many social gatherings, fraternal conventions and a celebrated visit by Mark Twain in 1895, the financial success of this investment was short-lived.  The hotel closed in December of 1899.   
 
The Larrabee family became the sole occupants of the housekeeping portion of the hotel until the death of C.X. Larrabee in 1914.  In 1916, Mrs. Larrabee and her two younger children moved to their new residence at #1 Hawthorn Road, now Lairmont Manor (405 Fieldston Road).
 
 Fairhaven Hotel at 12th and Harris.  Fairhaven Pharmacy, left.

1928 to 1956

In 1928, the tower of the hotel was removed, the first step in its ultimate destruction.  As the property of Whatcom County in 1937, all decorative elements—gables, rough Chuckanut Sandstone, and rosettes—were removed.  The red brick was stuccoed gray to create a modern business block.
Its last years, however, were happy as the home of the Boys’ and Girl’s Club....
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
Roland Gamwell standing at Harris Street Entrance 1950s


........but an electrical fire in 1953 signaled the end.
 
Demolition began in 1953 and was completed in 1956 when the great entrance arch fell.
   
 

 

1956 to 2019
After the Fairhaven Hotel
 

The last debris was cleared away in 1956, making way for a Richfield Oil Co. service station.  
 
Later, the abandoned service station sat on the corner for many years.  A Christmas tree lot appeared each December.
 
 
"Although the idea of Imperial Fairhaven died in the 19th Century, the image of the grand hotel still lingers."  Rosamond Van Miert
 


2019 - 2020
Construction of Fairhaven Towers
 
Construction of an apartment/retail complex began in 2018 with an architectural design that honors the hotel that once occupied that important location at 12th Street and Harris Avenue.
 
 
 

 
 
10/3/19

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