One of Ballard’s oldest buildings is about to be restored.
The Hansen Building, built in 1905, will have its 13 original wood windows and storefront rehabilitated this fall. The building has been a historic landmark since 1976, and has been owned by Laurie and Roger Lohrer since 1998 under the name Dock Street Properties LLC.
Laurie tells My Ballard that some of the window components are original, and all are in desperate need of restoration.
The current tenants are CC Filson on the ground-floor, and a mix of therapists, construction companies, real-estate agents, an antique dealer, photographer and architect lease office space on the building’s second floor and annex.
The restoration work will be partially funded by 4Culture, guided by National Park Service historic preservation standards. The contractor will be Tumwater-based Eco Woodworks & Construction, known for their extensive experience in historic wood window restoration and rehabilitation.
The Lohrers also did a voluntary full seismic retrofit of the building in 2016 — the project earned a “Best Rehabilitation” award from Historic Seattle in 2017.
The window and storefront rehabilitation work will start on Sept. 30 and is expected to last six weeks.
“We’re pretty excited about protecting the integrity of this wonderful piece of history,” Laurie says.
