It took 13 years to restore this historic property. You can rent it for your next event
Soon you’ll be able to host your next event down at the Eddon Boatyard Brick House.
The city bought the Eddon Boatyard in 2004 and it’s undergone renovations for the past 13 years.
With final renovations complete, the city is celebrating Thursday, Oct. 6 at 5:30 p.m.
The celebration will take place at the Gig Harbor BoatShop at Eddon Boatyard, 3805 Harborview Dr., with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
A reception will follow with refreshments and “presentations by Gig Harbor Mayor Tracie Markley and Gig Harbor BoatShop President Guy Hoppen, along with commentary by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation,” according to the event announcement.
The BoatShop will continue to use the boatyard for public classes and workshops.
Most recently, it provided space for a team of volunteers to build the Batana, a traditional Croatian fishing boat.
Soon the Eddon Boatyard Brick House will be available to the public to use as an event space.
“The main floor of the Eddon Boatyard Brick House, along with the adjoining deck, will be available to the public for family, community, and organization activities half the year, while the Gig Harbor BoatShop will retain a portion of the year for public programming and events,” according to the Sept. 27 city press release.
“There is a 30-person Boatyard House occupancy that has been set by the city as part of the approved Conditional Use Permit,” Nicole Jones-Vogel, Community Development Director for the BoatShop told the Gateway.
The public can RSVP to the ribbon-cutting ceremony at facebook.com/CityofGigHarbor.
Brick house history
The brick house was originally constructed in 1946.
In 1950, Ed Hoppen and Don Harter opened Eddon Boat Company and acquired the boatyard with the brick house on Gig Harbor’s waterfront.
“The Hoppen family sold Eddon Boatyard to Breck Adams who renamed the yard to Blue Heron Yachts” in late 1977, according to the Gig Harbor BoatShop website. “Adams ran the boatyard until 1981.”
Shortly after that Blue Heron Yachts closed and “the boatyard property was purchased by a series of investors,” the website explains.
“In 2003 the property owner proposed to demolish the boatyard and develop seven upscale homes and a marina on the site,” the website says. But that’s not what the city and some long-time residents of Gig Harbor wanted.
The property was on the market when Guy Hoppen, John McMillan, Lita Dawn Ancich-Stanton, and Chuck Hunter started a grassroots advocacy group in 2004, according to the website.
“City Council members voted to place the property on the ballot as a $3.5 million bond issue. Citizens of Gig Harbor voted overwhelmingly (62%) in favor of preserving the historic structure and its traditional use,” the website states.
In 2007 the city acquired the property, signing a 20-year lease with Gig Harbor BoatShop for them to use the boatyard building to provide traditional boating educational classes and workshops to the public.
Renovations and improvements began in 2009 and finished late this summer.
“Gig Harbor BoatShop has been a steady advocate and focused on Boatyard House restoration and use from the drafting of the Boatyard lease in 2007,” Jones-Vogel said. “The length of restoration might be best explained as a result of the Boatyard House being part of a long list of important city project priorities.”
The $3.5 million bond amount paid for the property.
“Subsequently there have been multiple grants awarded to the city and the BoatShop adding up to around $2 million that were dedicated to restoring all site buildings, cleanup, dock, float marine railways, house, etc.,” Jones-Vogel said.
In addition the city and BoatShop have provided some direct funding support.
“For the Brick Boatyard House in particular, the BoatShop applied for, and received a Washington State Historical Society Heritage Capital Projects Fund Grant of over $70,000 for the house restoration,” Jones-Vogel said.
The remaining restoration costs of over $400,000 were paid for by the city, Jones-Vogel said.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comments from Nicole Jones-Vogel, Community Development Director for the BoatShop.
This story was originally published October 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
