Pieces of Fremont history turned up in Ballard this week.
Tucked among the reclaimed lumber and vintage fixtures at Ballard Reuse, a handful of salvaged items recently surfaced: signage from Norm’s Eatery and Ale House, Baila Bar, and the Backdoor at Roxy’s… three Fremont spots that have closed in recent years on a block that’s being redeveloped. (Demolition of the buildings appears imminent.)
The collection included decorative railings, bar signs, restroom plaques, and other interior pieces pulled from their original homes.
Ballard Reuse, located at 1440 NW 52nd St., is a nonprofit building salvage store that specializes in reclaimed and donated materials from commercial and residential spaces. The shop is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a midday break.
Stock changes fast, so if you want to snag a piece of Fremont history, don’t wait too long.
2 responses to “Fremont relics spotted at Ballard Reuse”
We can do better than this! 🙂 I was sitting at Dordlofva’s Cafe the other day where City workers were basically giving away old street signage to Ophelia’s and other businesses who noticed the signs and wanted them! The shop owners got out there to reclaim! Good for them! I’d suggest that in the future, the private owners of buildings that have iconic signage should give the neighborhood a “first right of refusal” to incorporate them somehow. The Fremont Arts Council? Small businesses? A neighbor? Let’s create the opportunity to reclaim BEFORE it leaves the neighborhood, not after….We don’t have strong enough historic preservation laws to save buildings (in my opinion) but maybe we can protect other things about those buildings that matter before they’re gone and sold.
I could not agree more! Many are so concerned with saving a buck any way that they can so I doubt anyone will care to make the effort to spend a few moments more to try to let local businesses or residents save some of these items of our neighborhood history.