Port of Everett, NGMA Group Kick Off Restoration of Historic Weyerhaeuser Building

EVERETT, Wash. – On Tuesday, Aug. 23, the Port of Everett and the NGMA Group gathered alongside eager community members and local history buffs to celebrate the start of renovations for the historic Weyerhaeuser Building at Waterfront Place.

The iconic waterfront structure is being restored to its former 1920s glory with plans to reopen for public use after two decades as The Muse Whiskey & Coffee Bar – a coffee house by day and speakeasy-style whiskey bar by night.

Port representatives and project partners held a program to honor the building’s history before welcoming guests inside for self-guided tours. Project boards with descriptions and design inspiration shared the plans for each room in the building.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW TOUR BOARDS

CLICK HERE TO VIEW EVENT PHOTOS

“I feel really, really fortunate to get to be part of the history of this building and that the Port Commissioners and CEO believed in our vision,” said Jack Ng, co-owner of the NGMA Group. “I’m looking forward to bringing our vision to the community to share.”

Key to the restoration partnership, The Muse is to serve as a museum, showcasing the rich history of the building and the once booming timber industry at the Everett waterfront. The building will also provide meeting space for some of the valued boating clubs at the Port.

“In addition to being the Port Commission Secretary, I’m sort of the unofficial Port of Everett historian,” Port Commissioner Tom Stiger said. “It was almost 100 years ago that this building was constructed at today’s South Terminal to serve as Weyerhaeuser’s Mill A headquarters. Boxcar Park is its fourth location – the building’s been moved three times.”

The Port is investing up to $1 million for improvements to ready the historic building for further improvements by the tenant, including repair of all windows to historic standards, interior renovations, ADA enhancements, utility upgrades, modernization of restrooms and exterior landscaping. In addition, NGMA Group’s investment will exceed the Port’s, bringing the space to life once again. 

“The Weyerhaeuser building is a treasure and something that we as the Port want to make sure we preserve, protect and enhance,” Port of Everett CEO Lisa Lefeber said. “I’m really thankful for Jack and Jin for wanting to invest in this icon, and for seeing the vision. The goal is to get people back into this historical building and the plans they have are going to do just that.”

The Port and the NMGA Group are also partnering to build a performance stage off the west side of the building in the Port’s Boxcar Park. When it isn’t booked for concerts and other events, the stage will be available for private parties and outdoor dining.

“On behalf of Historic Everett, I want to congratulate and thank the Port of Everett for taking the steps to put this building on the National Register of Historic Places,” said Andrea Tucker, Membership and Advocacy Chair of Historic Everett. “It was a big, bold move that we’re hoping sets an example for other public entities to preserve historic buildings through the register so we can have 200-year-old buildings, not just 100-year-old. We also want to thank Jack and Jin for taking on the project and breathing life back into this beloved structure, and not only making it accessible to our citizens, but to thousands of visitors over the years to come.”

The Muse Whiskey & Coffee Bar is slated to open March 23, 2023 – the building’s centennial.

Watch for updates at thewhiskeymuse.com. 

For more information, contact Catherine Soper, Communications & Marketing Director, at catherines@portofeverett.com.

About the Historic Weyerhaeuser Building 

The historic building’s ornate Gothic-style structure was erected in 1923 at the Weyerhaeuser Company’s first Everett lumber and shingle mill. Architect Carl Gould was commissioned to design the 6,000-square-foot, one-and-a-half story building to showcase the company’s local wood products such as fir, cedar and hemlock. The Weyerhaeuser Company was Everett’s largest employer for decades. The now iconic building resided at two of their largest plants before finding its way to the Port of Everett, first at Marina Village, and now, Boxcar Park. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Today, the Weyerhaeuser Building serves as a reminder and tribute to Everett’s mill town roots and the once prevalent lumber and shingle industry on its waterfront. Learn more @ http://www.historiceverettwaterfront.com/waterfront-special-features/the-weyerhaeuser-building