What’s in a Name?: Fairhaven’s Terminal Building and its History

There are a few theories behind how Fairhaven’s Terminal Building got its name, one being that the structure was originally slated to become the last stop for the Great Northern Railroad.

          

The Great Northern Railroad was created by James Hill in 1889, stretching from Minnesota to Washington State’s Puget Sound. The theory poses that the Terminal Building was erected in 1888 in anticipation of the Great Northern Railroad making its last stop in Fairhaven. Instead, James Hill decided Seattle should be the railroad's final destination. Since then, Seattle’s economy has skyrocketed while Fairhaven has had more of a stumbling start. Fairhaven’s economy faltered, made ground, and then faltered again for years until Ken Imus bought the town’s old buildings, renovated them and ultimately saved the town from being bulldozed.

One of the other theories behind the origins of the Terminal Building's name is that it was given by its owner in 1930 to fit with its location at the end of Fairhaven’s old electric streetcar line. Electric streetcars were once the most popular form of public transportation in many North American cities and allowed people to commute to cities for work on a daily basis.

The Terminal Building has never been vacant. Since its creation, the building has been home to a saloon, a billiards parlor, two real estate offices, a barber shop, a cigar store, a drugs store, a bicycle shop, Tony’s Coffee and Harris Avenue Café.