Bellingham Then & Now: St. Paul's Bellingham

The original building was a small parish hall, built in 1885 on land donated by Henry Roeder. The church guild had 6 members (Cora Gardner, Laura Weisenburger, Susanna Steinweg, Harriet Stubbs, F. Mae Manly, Jennie Powell) who spearheaded fundraising projects - concerts, festivals and plays - to raise the $1300 cost. The first wedding at this structure was between Lottie Tuttle Roeder (daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Roeder) and Charles Roth (residents of Elmheim).

As the surrounding community grew, so did the need for a larger church space. F. Stanley Piper was hired to design a 500-seat building in a Gothic style, and ground was broken in 1925. At the time of construction, the spire could be seen from much of the city as well as from the Bay. Over its history, St. Paul’s has continued to expand, with additions in the 1950s and 1990s (the latter is called the Haggen-Clark Hall in recognition of the generous donations from those families).

 
*The name Stanley Piper may ring a bell; he designed the Eldridge Mansion and the Herald Building as well as next week’s Then & Now post, the D St Train Station.*

English born, Piper had immigrated to Seattle in 1907 at the age of 24 and later formed his own Bellingham company. He played a significant role in the development of Bellingham, designing many public buildings still in use today, including:

• Bellingham Herald Building

• St. Paul’s Church

• Bellingham Country Club

• National Bellingham Bank Building (101-111 East Holly)

• St. Luke’s (at 809 E. Chestnut; now part of St. Joseph’s)

• D St Train Station

• Eldridge Mansion

Next up on Bellingham Then & Now: the railroad history of Whatcom County has its ups and downs - and water fights too.

Previously on Bellingham Then & Now: Broadway Hall originally housed a ladies’ social and education club that lasted for 100 years.

Sources:

“History of the Building.” St. Paul’s Bellingham. Link.

Images:

Then: “History of the Building.” St. Paul’s Bellingham. Link.

Now: Cooper Hansley

Blog copy by Tiffany Holden