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August 26, 2022

Tenant improvements to begin soon at historic Weyerhaeuser building in Everett

By EMMA HINCHLIFFE
A/E Editor

Photos by Evans Creative courtesy of Port of Everett. [enlarge]
On Tuesday the Port of Everett held a community event to share more details about The Muse.

In March, the Port of Everett announced it had signed a 10-year lease with restaurateurs Jack and Jin Ng of the NGMA Group to transform its historic Weyerhaeuser building at 615 Millwright Loop N. into a new whiskey bar/coffee shop concept called The Muse.

Now, more details have emerged about that project with tenant improvements set to begin this fall. The Weyerhaeuser building dates back to 1923 and is 6,000 square feet and one-and-a-half-stories. The Ng's, with project architect Eric Richmond from Flat Rock Productions, will turn the space into a community coffee house by day and speakeasy-style whiskey bar by night.

Upon entry patrons will see the coffee shop area to their right. In addition to a sales counter there will a large lounge-style seating area/sitting room. This side of the property will also have a rentable office space and conference room.

To their left, patrons will see a door underneath a to-be-installed frosted glass sign that reads Frederick Weyerhaeuser, the name of the Weyerhaeuser Company's founder. Through the door will be an office room intended to mimic the timber company's administration offices that were originally located in the building. This room doubles as a speakeasy-style entrance to the whiskey bar. The space is designed to seamlessly transition from day to evening use. The coffee shop will close in the evening, at which point whiskey bar patrons will have access to the sitting room area on the right side of the property.

The nearly 100-year-old building has many original features, such as stained glass, which will be highlighted in the new space.

The top level of the building will be turned into rentable event space. It will also include a small library area and will be the new home for some local yacht clubs. The port is also planning to build a waterfront performance stage off the west side of the property. This space will be used as outside seating for The Muse when no events are planned.

“Our plan is to take the building back to its 1920's roots,” Rachel Escalle, vice president of operations at NGMA Group, said. “We really want to respect, pay homage to and highlight the history of the building and the Weyerhaeuser corporations impact on the area.” To do this the space will also function as a museum of sorts with placards and possibly QR codes highlighting important historic features in the building and the history of the timber company and the timber industry in Everett. The upstairs library will be stocked with books related to this history in addition to more general reading materials.

Unique historical features to be spotlighted include a one-of-a-kind fireplace on the ground level and an original 1920s vault which The Muse will use for whiskey and wine storage. There are also plans to operate a wine club from The Muse which would offer members the option of storing wine in the historic vault.

Escalle said that the design team are still finalizing the color and materials palette but expects it will consist of lots of stone and wood in keeping with the historic Gothic architecture of the space with some jewel tones to offset the grays and browns. “Our overall goal is to respect and highlight the beauty of this historic building while also turning it into a unique and comfortable space for the modern-day community to enjoy,” Escalle concluded. A general contractor will be selected in the next few weeks. Tenant improvements also include the restoration and upgrading of the building's window and floors. The Muse is scheduled to open March 23, 2023, the date of the building's centennial.


 


Emma Hinchliffe can be reached by email or by phone at (206) 622-8272.




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