What if our beautiful historic buildings weren’t just reminders of the past, but catalysts for the future? That was the spirit behind our field trip to Bellingham on June 7th, where a group from the Downtown Anacortes Alliance spent the day with Bob and Jovan Hall and their team at Daylight Properties—a force behind some of the most inspiring preservation work in the Pacific Northwest.
Together, the Halls and their team are credited with saving over 25 historic properties and preserving more than 200 units of workforce and affordable housing—a remarkable legacy of care, creativity, and commitment to their community. Their work doesn’t stop at restoration. Daylight Properties takes a deeply intentional approach to curating downtown vibrancy—selecting and coaching anchor tenants, subsidizing rent for promising entrepreneurs, and in some cases, even selling to business owners as part of a long-term, win-win strategy. More than landlords, they see themselves as partners in their tenants’ success, and that philosophy has helped create a thriving ecosystem of locally rooted businesses.
From Fairhaven to downtown Bellingham, we explored a wide range of Daylight’s projects—each with its own story, challenges, and creative reuse. The Knights of Pythias Building in Fairhaven is a bold and beautiful example of what’s possible when restoration is guided by long-term vision. The Bellingham Hardware Building, remodeled in the 1970s, showed how historic integrity and modern flexibility can coexist—with open interiors now serving a vibrant tenant mix.
At the Cyr Building, we talked about how thoughtful business recruitment can define the character of a space and activate an entire block. The Herald Building, a cornerstone of Bellingham’s civic past, now houses an ecosystem of modern businesses, all while keeping its heritage visible—complete with a restored printing press in the lobby. The Daylight Building pairs affordable housing with a lively ground-floor café popular with students and creatives. And at the Leopold Building, a beautifully restored landmark now home to long-term residences and the boutique Hotel Leo, we wrapped our day over jazz brunch—experiencing firsthand how history and hospitality can blend seamlessly.
Another major theme throughout the day: partnership with the City of Bellingham, especially the Mayor’s office, has been instrumental to Daylight’s success. From permitting to project visioning, their close working relationship with city leadership was clear—and served as a powerful reminder that preservation at this scale requires public-private collaboration rooted in shared goals.
This trip was a follow-up to Bob Hall’s keynote during our Old Souls, Fresh Spirits Historic Building Tour last fall, and it left us energized by the possibilities ahead. As we roll out new tools like our façade grant program and support the development of the Downtown Streetscape Plan, we’re taking these lessons to heart. With strong partnerships, thoughtful investment, and a shared vision for the future, we believe downtown Anacortes can write its own story of transformation—one beautiful building at a time.
One thought on “Lessons from Bellingham: How Historic Buildings Can Shape a Thriving Downtown”