Saving a historic hotel in Index

Published 10:21 pm Saturday, May 30, 2009

INDEX — Waylon Robert remembers a time when the Bush House hummed with activity.

In the space of a few years, the pioneer-era hotel at the heart of this mountain town has fallen into disrepair.

The owner shut the hotel down a few years ago and vandals and weather quickly took their toll.

Now the building’s roof is leaking, and broken windows are boarded over.

The sight so disturbed 12-year-old Waylon that he decided to do something about it.

Thanks to his efforts, the hotel is getting some attention as part of a statewide list of endangered historic properties.

“I want to try and help the historical society save this place,” said Waylon, a sixth-grader who lives in Seattle. “If it’s not saved now it will be gone forever. That would be a terrible loss.”

The nonprofit Washington Trust for Historic Preservation brings attention to historic properties with its annual list. This year 13 properties made the list, including the Libbey House in Coupeville, a historic home whose owners want to take it down to build a new, larger house on their property.

Waylon nominated the Bush House for inclusion on the list. His nomination form included ghost stories he had heard and his own line drawings of what he remembers of the place from earlier in his childhood. He said his parents took him there frequently and he remembers the warm, bustling atmosphere at the hotel’s restaurant.

The Bush House was built in 1898 to serve the many people traveling over Stevens Pass by train, said Louise Lindgren, the director of the Index-Pickett Museum. She also nominated the Bush House for the Washington Trust list.

At one time Index had five hotels, but the Bush House is the only one that remains.

Clarence Bush and his wife initially ran the property. A popular story tells of Mrs. Bush greeting travelers at the train, ringing a bell and calling out “Bush House Hotel.”

A decade ago, the Bush House served as a hub for the town, and it was the only place large enough to accommodate sizeable gatherings, she said. It shut down when Snohomish County revoked the hotel’s occupancy permit because of structural and public safety concerns.

“It was a very vibrant hotel with beautifully appointed antique-furnished rooms and a good restaurant,” she said.

The Bush House is for sale and the hope is the owner will either rehabilitate the property or let someone else purchase it, Lindgren said.

“It’s a beloved building,” she said. “All of us have memories of heart-warming events in that building.”

Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com.