With renovations set to finish by August, the building will see an overhaul of the interior and exterior – complete with new common areas, restrooms, lobbies and outdoor landscaping. The redesign is being managed by White Stone and LSW Architects, who collaborated on architectural plans that include an outdoor water feature and additional parking.
“Besides location, we feel like the building has good bones,” said Copenhaver. “It’s very open and very light, meaning it’s got good infrastructure. It’s structurally sound, solid, no environmental concerns.”
As soon as the remodel is finished, the building is set to be at 100 percent occupancy; it will house the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington, Davidson and Associates Insurance Agency, First Pacific Associates, LSW Architects, Robertson Engineering and White Stone Development. Each of the companies has been in the Vancouver community for 20 to 30 years.
With the goal of offering a space for nonprofit organizations, the new Esther Short Building will rent out a large, modern space. According to a press release from White Stone Development, “The 33,300-square-foot building will include an 875-square-foot community room with seating capacity for 60 people and an adjacent, partially covered patio.” In addition to media amenities, the community room will include a heated outdoor patio.
“It’ll be a very nice space,” said Copenhaver. “We’ll have a glass wall that opens into an outdoor area that has a fire pit, couches and chairs. It’ll be available to nonprofits for a very, very small fee.”
Some Vancouver residents worried that the building takeover might alter Esther Short Park’s iconic outdoor weekend market, but Copenhaver said the market won’t be affected.
“We’re continuing to work with the farmer’s market,” he said. “They currently wrap around the property on 6th and Esther and we will continue to allow them to use the property on the weekends.”
White Stone Development hasn’t stopped at the Esther Short Building in its vision of a vibrant downtown.
“We’re involved in the redevelopment of several other buildings,” said Copenhaver. “The future of downtown Vancouver is growing.”
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