A footnote on the Edgecomb store

I recently wrote an entry on Edgecomb, the former town that is now along Arlington's southernmost city limits.

When my family moved to Arlington 35 years ago, the Edgecomb store was the last remaining evidence that a small bustling town had once existed there. By then it was already a pretty forlorn looking structure. Over the course of four decades I watched it deteriorate even more, all the time hoping perhaps someone would come along and save this unique historic building.

"GIVE IT BACK"

My hopes were raised for a time in 2006-2007 when the city's planning commission approved a plan to renovate the building. Unfortunately serious structural issues were discovered. Unable to salvage it safely, it was unceremoniously demolished  and the new property owner began construction in the footprint of the previous building.

For a time I was a daily driver through that intersection, and watched the new structure as it was being built. One day, as I drove by I noticed an odd incident of vandalism.

Someone had painted "GIVE IT BACK" on the north side of the unfinished building.

Now obviously I don't condone this type of vandalism -- the photo also shows some windows were also broken. That's intolerable.

However, my curiosity as to the identity of the vandal still sticks with me. Who was the author of the graffiti? Was the perpetrator an outraged octogenerian? An antiquarian anarchist? It gave me pause for thought. It didn't seem the work of a bored teenager — there was an obvious sense of frustration the vandal felt toward the loss of the historical building.

When I returned to Arlington five years ago I discovered, much to my consternation, that the city — which officially incorporated in 1903 — has no municipal historic preservation commission. The responsibility for keeping track of all things historical has rested with the Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Association, which put its members' energies into building an amazing, three story museum on 67th, and the Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society, which has an excellent historical archive as well.

But there is no one officially looking out for the distinctive historical structures in the "Old Town" commercial area along Olympic Avenue, or for the many historic homes that reside in the Old Town district.

Either by luck or happenstance, a good portion of Arlington's early architecture is still relatively intact -- the original character of many of these buildings is just hinted at behind various mid-20th century facades (some good, some awful).

An example of one of the better restorations in Old Town.

At the time I asked around why Arlington doesn't have a historical preservation commission, or even a plan. The common reply is that it's an issue of property rights -- that either the city or the building owners themselves are resistant to any kind of limitations in the kind of development that can be done in Old Town.

That's a shame. Historic preservation is a key element in many municipal economic development plans that have "old towns" like Arlington. It's called "heritage tourism." People will visit your town, and spend money there, solely on the historic attractions and ambiance it offers.

Had a historical commission been in place five years ago, or 35 years ago, perhaps the Edgecomb store would still be with us.

I think the tide may be changing, however. The opening of the depot visitor's center has stimulated more interest in the town's history, and businesses are beginning to realize just how much "traffic" the Centennial Trail brings to Old Town.

So who knows, maybe a municipal historical commission is in Arlington's near future... people just can't yet see the forest for the trees.