A Tale of Two Buildings
The story of Robert Hall and two places ingrained in Bellingham history
Story by CODY LEVY
Photos by EYTHAN FROST
Between Western’s campus and Bellingham Bay in the South Hill neighborhood stands the home of Robert Hall. A tap on the lion’s head door knocker brings the local property owner to the door, followed closely by two barking dogs.
Built in 1916, this colonial-style home on South Forest Street has overlooked Bellingham Bay for more than a century. The house was owned from 1950–2000 by Kitty Stimpson, who was well-known throughout the neighborhood for her political events. According to Hall, Kitty hosted many notable Democrats at the home including Albert Rosellini, Warren Magnuson and Scoop Jackson.
Sitting on an acre plot featuring an extensive backyard, garden and tennis court, Hall said the property was considered for donation as the residence for Western’s president, though it never happened. He has lived there since 2012.
Hall lived on South Forest Street before moving to this location, so he knew the area well. He made an offer on his current house in 2000 but was unsuccessful, and when it became available again, he jumped on it. But it’s not the only property he owns, not by a long shot.
Just a few blocks away, The Bellingham Herald Building sits on the corner of Chestnut and State Street. It is home to Daylight Properties, Hall’s property management company. He owns the building, along with over 20 others in the city.
From the Bellingham National Bank Building to the Barlow Building where Goat Mountain Pizza is located, Hall has been scooping up historical buildings in town and restoring them to their former glory. The Herald Building, built in 1926, is one of several that Hall has gotten onto the National Register of Historic Places.
“I’ll put it this way, I was very good at monopoly when I was a kid,” Hall said. “This is a big board.”
Hall is from Tacoma and moved to Bellingham in 1976. He started his restorations in the 1980s and owns properties in Spokane and Chehalis as well.
“I realized there was like a magic mile,” Hall said, describing the area from State Street to Railroad Avenue. “At first, I didn’t know where to buy, and the banks in the beginning were not fond of buildings downtown.”
Hall’s son Kane Hall has worked at Daylight Properties for nearly 20 years. He’s managed the company for 10 years now, and while his father has scaled back his time at the office, Kane said he will always be in the property business.
“He’ll never retire,” Kane said. “He collects them like old cars.”
Back in the South Hill home, the door opens to an entrance hall featuring a stunning grand staircase. A dining room sits to the left, and to the right a living room with an old brick fireplace.
“It’s a very classic design, and someone didn’t dream this up,” Hall said. “You see the British shows, they all look like this.”
Hall walks through the home, laying out facts about the house like a museum curator going through exhibits. There’s a land deed signed by former president Martin Van Buren, an old stained-glass window pane from Western’s library, and a room with two old harps in the corner. Just one facet of the many interesting items Hall has curated over the years.
“I have eccentric taste, and in a house like this, you can put them in and it doesn’t look out of place,” Hall said.
His collection has even gotten him compared to the famous movie character, Indiana Jones.
“He’s done a great job of filling that place up,” Kane said. “There was an article in the paper that called him ‘Indiana Bob’. He’s got a lot of treasures in there.”
In the harp room, Hall brings down a ladder from the ceiling. He pops it open to reveal a rooftop deck he had made when he moved in. The site is extravagant, with panoramic views of the whole neighborhood and Bellingham Bay. To the right is downtown Bellingham, the place where Hall has dedicated so much of his time and effort over the years.
The home on South Forest and the Herald Building have both seen Bellingham’s history unfold. The South Hill house stood through the Great Depression and World War II and witnessed all the changes the city has undergone in a century, standing through it all. The Herald Building is the base for Hall’s business today, where he’s spent decades saving so many buildings with the same history.
“A lot of the buildings I bought, the previous owners were just going to tear them down,” Hall said. “I felt kind of a paternal interest to take care of them, and they’ve all paid off wonderfully.”