City Hall, New Whatcom, WA

It was raining again today. The lighting, gray and flat. I was bemoaning the uninspiring photo opportunities. Lola Malu and I had to run several errands that took us through downtown Bellingham, eventually landing us right in front of this magnificent red brick building that is now the Whatcom Museum of History and Art. With my Olympus set on "dramatic tone", I set to work.

The building was originally built in 1892 as the city hall for what was the former town of New Whatcom before it became Bellingham. It was designed by Alfred Lee, a local architect.

The building served as city hall until approximately 1936 and later became part of the museum in 1941. Its beautiful rotunda has the most luscious acoustics and has been the venue for many a musical performance (including the Allegra Women's Choir).