By Theresa Goffredo
Herald Writer
EVERETT — A saloon and an undertaker’s parlor — those were the first commercial buildings on Hewitt Avenue back in the 1890s.
Both are long gone, replaced by Interstate 5, but the history of how the undertaker used to let homeless people bed down in empty coffins in the rear of his shop remains.
Some Everett residents believe the town is slowly losing its history, building by building. Art DeRosa is one of those people.
"I hate like hell to see all that area demolished for one big building," said the 84-year-old DeRosa, a resident since 1942. "I can see putting it up by the Holiday Inn, but I sure don’t like the idea of them building a hockey arena without a vote."
With a $25 million sales tax rebate from the state, the city is planning to tear down several buildings on Hewitt Avenue to build a proposed $50 million hockey arena and special events center near Broadway.
And what is making DeRosa and others mad is that the events center will destroy parts of Everett’s historic significance.
Two of the buildings are on Everett’s Historic Register. Because of that, the city must ask the Everett Historical Commission for a waiver to demolish them.
| Historic proportions
The Everett Historic Commission criteria for putting buildings on the city’s historic register: Should a commercial building gain register status the property owner doesn’t have to pay property taxes on improvements made to the building for 10 years.
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Those buildings are the Moffat Building, at 1908 Hewitt, and Stovies Stove Shop, 1922 Hewitt. The Moffat Building includes the Cosmopolitan Theater and apartments. Stovies houses an antiques mall.
The process of getting the OK from the historical commission will take place over two public hearings. The first is Wednesday where information regarding Hewitt Avenue’s history will be discussed along with the events center architect explaining ways in which the proposed center would lessen the loss of the historic properties.
On Nov. 28 the commission will hold a second hearing and take public testimony before making a decision concerning its recommendation to the city council on whether the buildings should go.
The historical commission is an appointed volunteer board of nine members. Chairman David Blacker said he expects the hearing process to be "pretty challenging," considering the historic significance of the buildings and because people are still living in apartments at the Moffat Building.
"There’s potential displacement, and I imagine they’ll want to address that so I expect a lot of people there and for the city to make their case," Blacker said.
| Meeting info
The first public hearing of Everett’s Historical Commission takes place at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the eighth Floor Hearing Room of the Wall Street Building, 2930 Wetmore Ave.
The commission is being asked to give a waiver to the city council so that two Hewitt Avenue buildings on the city’s historic register can be demolished.
A second meeting is set for 7 p.m. Nov. 28 in the Wall Street Building at which time the commission will take public testimony and is expected to make a decision on whether to grant a waiver.
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"We’re not just asked but the city is required to come to us and that speaks well of the city to have something like this in place," Blacker said. "Our whole integrity is to give a fair hearing to both sides after we hear both sides."
Historic commission member Jack O’Donnell said he is "really troubled" that the commission is being asked to vote on this.
"Those buildings represent things along Hewitt that in the eyes of the historical commission is what we would like to see happening down there," O’Donnell said. "Such improvements like the marquis on the Cosmo Theater are, in the eyes of the commission, what we like to see happening there."
You can call Herald Writer Theresa Goffredo at 425-339-3097
or send e-mail to
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