What’s old is about to be new again.
Foss Waterway Seaport – once the commercial Balfour Dock and now a center of marine history and exploration – has announced that bids for the second phase of its renovation have been sought, sent and sealed.
Where the first phase of the $2 million project focused on seismic bracing, the second will see the brick front of the block-long structure replaced by a tall and welcoming wall of glass.
Contractor bids for the second phase will be opened Nov. 22, said Tom Cashman, Seaport executive director.
Although releasing neither the number of bidders nor the amount of their bids, Cashman estimated the cost of construction for the second phase will run upwards of $1.5 million.
Construction should begin in January, with completion scheduled for early summer.
Although exhibits at the Seaport will be closed during construction, Cashman said other programs – including school field trips and educational outreach, dockside moorings and activities at the boat shop – will continue.
At 45,000 square feet, the one-acre former warehouse is along Dock Street on Tacoma’s Thea Foss Waterway.
The City of Tacoma and private donations are funding the overall redevelopment project.
“This is another step in our evolution,” Cashman said.
“We’re grateful to the public sector for having made this a reality.”
“We’ve been at this for 15 years,” he said. “As many years as we’ve been here, people still drive by and see a building that looks the same.”
No so next year, as the Seaport enters its next incarnation.
The facility already provides a suite of services including a maritime museum, heritage boat shop, marine science station and areas for both indoor and outdoor events.
A third phase, still under discussion, will allow the building to provide use year-round.
Currently, given the tall-trussed space inside and the vicissitudes of winter, the larger part of the Seaport is habitable only from May through October.
That final phase, Cashman said, will likely include a heating system.
Already, wedding parties have secured all available dates through 2012, he said, and some intrepid meeting planners have inked deals for off-season gatherings.
They’ll pay extra for heaters.
Still, Cashman said, “We’ve had to turn down January stuff. Trust me. It’s going to be too cold.”
For another year or so.
“When we’re done, we’ll be the largest maritime heritage and education center on the West Coast,” Cashman said.
C.R. Roberts: 253-597-8535 c.r.roberts@thenewstribune.com
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