Edmonds Waterfront Antique Mall property sold to Lynnwood-based company
The City of Edmonds announced Thursday that the Edmonds Waterfront Antique Mall property has been sold to a Lynnwood-based company and will now be called Salish Crossing.
The company that purchased the property, Salish Crossing L.L.C., is part of the Lynnwood-based Echelbarger Company, which plans to make exterior and interior upgrades to attract new tenants.
“This is a momentous purchase to a company with strong family ties to the Edmonds community,” Edmonds Mayor Dave Earling said. “I look forward to new ownership taking the responsibility of transforming the site and enhancing our community.”
Salish Crossing L.L.C. is beginning immediate improvements to reposition the shopping center, the city said, including “comprehensive repair and painting of the exterior, significant electrical work, new landscaping and new signage.” Company representative Lindsey Echelbarger said he was pleasantly surprised to discover the structure — a former strip mall that sits on 4.3 acres and used to house a Safeway store — is in much better shape than its exterior suggested and views it as “a real diamond in the rough.”
Salish Crossing will also serve as a new home of the 1909 Edmonds High School portico entrance, which was removed in 2005 when the former high school was renovated to become the Edmonds Center for the Arts. The portico had been preserved by Lindsey Echelbarger and his wife, Carolyn, who had both served on the Capital Campaign that initially raised funds for the ECA construction.
Salish Crossing L.L.C. managing partner Nick Echelbarger noted that the former Antique Mall building “is a key gateway for Edmonds. If you are traveling on the ferry, Salish Crossing is either the first or the last thing you see in Edmonds. We are working deliberately with a top-notch team to ensure the shopping center is something all will be proud of.”
Project architects are Steven Johnson and Jeff Oaklief from Johnson Architecture and Planning L.L.C. Any inquiries for available space should be directed to Tiffini Connell, a broker with West Coast Commercial Realty, at 206-283-5212.
This is great news for Edmonds
I have long thought that this property would make an ideal mixture of a Third Place Commons/indoor mall with fast food & restaurants/year-round farmer’s market, an entertainment stage, and free Wi-Fi. It would certainly draw the ferry traffic along with locals.
It would be great to have some of the parking area made available for Sound Transit commuter riders
Thank you to the Echelbarger Family! And I love Ritchie Marshall’s idea of a Third Place Commons, something like a Town Hall or town living room, with meeting space and an area for small performances. It would also be wonderful to have room for a small art museum honoring the major artists who lived and worked in the area: Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, Guy Anderson, etc. That would make the building a destination for visitors. Of course, businesses that pay the rent would be key, but the more traffic that comes to the space, the better for business.
I echo the preceding comments regarding the good news for Edmonds. Finally something good will happen on this site. But of more interest is the naming of the project ‘Salish Crossing.’ If one understands the history of this place called Edmonds, then you know the Salish tribes lived, worked and created culture on this site long before George Brackett beached his canoe one windy night. For thousands of years, the waterfront was home to several tribes particularly the Suquamish, and they traveled from the beach, up the hills and through forests as far east as Lake Washington. This project can help broaden our understanding of the Salish footprint in and around Edmonds which makes it a better place for all. I also can easily envision a Tillicum Village program @ this site that, as we know, is a big tourist draw on Blake Island. Let’s get creative….
Jim:
Thanks very much for the history lesson! I was wondering what the relevance was of the name “Salish Crossing”.
Jim,
Would you email me.
-Nathan
Giving this building the correct gentle face-lift, this architecture will stand as a grand testament to modern design of a particular era. Most have been torn down long ago around the country.
I envision some spectacular landscape design doing away with the banality of the asphalt parking lot also.
Let’s keep this as a “midcentury ornament” for the community, and don’t forget that the citizens of Edmonds do not wish to have the zoning height limits changed.