EVERETT — As a kid, Gene Fosheim remembers spending time in the Collins Building, where his father worked as a carpenter.
As the 57-year-old man stood by the old mill town landmark more than 40 years later, the Collins Building looked remarkably the same.
“I’ve been passionate about this building for a long time,” said Fosheim, who grew up in Everett.
He is not the only one. At least 60 people gathered Saturday afternoon to protest the Port of Everett’s plan to demolish the historic industrial building on W. Marine View Drive and 13th Street.
The port wants to redevelop the area into a Craftsman District and was studying ways to redevelop or move the Collins Building. Because of complications, officials recently set aside the project and will likely tear down the building later this year. Beams, windows and some other features would be saved to become part of another building.
Historic Everett, the group behind the protest, along with other historic groups in Snohomish County, is working to convince officials to change their minds.
Richard Brigham held a makeshift sign that read “Abolish Historical Amnesia.”
“Americans are famous for looking more toward the future than the past,” he said. But people need to preserve their heritage.
“It’s about the only classy old thing on the waterfront,” Brigham said.
The men and women who came out with signs Saturday shared stories about the city’s industrial past and talked about personal connections to the world of lumber. Passing drivers cheerfully honked at the group. The red structure stood heavy and quiet behind the fence, awaiting its fate.
“This building doesn’t exist anywhere else,” said Valerie Steel, one of the leaders of Historic Everett. The group has come up with ideas about how the building could be used, such as a farmers market or a museum. The spacious and well-lit top floor could be converted to artists lofts, Steel said.
Historic value aside, the Collins Building is a perfectly functional space, and officials should make the most of it, Steel said.
“We live on a planet with finite resources, for God’s sakes,” she said. “If you tear that building down, that investment of resources is wasted.”
Why not use the space for a waterfront museum, said Joni Smith, who joined the demonstration with her husband Jerry Smith. The couple live in north Everett.
Whatever the use, Collins building is part of Everett’s past, Joni Smith said. “There’s not another one like it on the planet.”
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
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