Hewitt Avenue’s history packs a meeting hall

By Theresa Goffredo

Herald Writer

EVERETT — The crowd spilled out of the meeting room. And as several people noted, the turnout for the Everett Historical Commission meeting was highly unusual.

What brought people out Wednesday night was the threat of the city losing two of its oldest commercial buildings on Hewitt Avenue, both on the Everett Historic Register. The buildings stand where a proposed $50 million hockey arena and special events center is planned, and the city wants historical commission members to grant a waiver so the buildings can be demolished.

The fact that more than 150 people showed up Wednesday may be a precursor that the historical commission’s next meeting could produce an even bigger crowd.

At that meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 28, the public will be allowed to give their comments. Also, the commission is expected to take a vote on whether to recommend whether a waiver should be granted. Though Wednesday’s meeting was at the Wall Street Building, commissioners will more than likely move the next meeting to another location to accommodate the crowd.

Wednesday’s meeting was only informational and the commission took no action.

Those in attendance heard about the special events project from Don Hale, acting executive director of the Everett Public Facilities District, which is in charge of operating the events center once it’s built. Hale explained that the site on Hewitt Avenue and Broadway where the center is to be built was picked for a variety of reasons, including that it had the best topography, the most parking and would dislodge the fewest number of people.

Hale also said the city’s other site choice on Cedar Street was not picked in part because the cost of relocating water and gas lines was "staggering."

The audience also heard from the project’s architect, the Bellevue design team of PCL Construction Services Inc., which designed the center to resemble an ocean liner with a main glass entrance on Hewitt.

David Dilgard, a history specialist with Everett Public Library’s Northwest Room, gave a slide show about the development of Hewitt Avenue. At the end, Dilgard let his feelings show about the importance of historic buildings on Hewitt, saying he had come to deliver a eulogy.

"And those who care about this section of Hewitt will lament its loss," Dilgard said.

You can call Herald Writer Theresa Goffredo at 425-339-3097

or send e-mail to goffredo@heraldnet.com.

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