Two years after a fire that destroyed three historical buildings, one building recently reopened and another is nearly done. A faint scent of fresh paint still hung in the air as islanders gathered for the Windermere office’s official ribbon cutting on Nov. 21.

“It has been a long haul,” Gary Franklin, a real estate broker, told the crowd before cutting the ribbon. Real estate agents were clearly proud and emotional, commenting amongst themselves how good it felt to be home again.

Now that both Windermere building and the 40 Spring Street building housing Crystal Seas Kayaking, San Juan Excursions and San Juan Property Management are complete Friday Harbor is finally healing from the fire that took three historical buildings. The original buildings, although gone, will not be forgotten. The Windermere building was originally built nearly 150 years ago. It served as lodging under several names: the William Douglas House, Bay View Hotel, Tourist Hotel Annex and San Juan Inn, just to name a few. Under the Hotel Annex, it had a backroom saloon that had a raucous reputation throughout Washington. A Christmas dinner was also held there, according to an October 2022 History Link article by Lynn Weber/Roochvarg, in 1899, where “adults (for 50 cents) and children (25 cents) could feast on roast turkey or goose with cranberry sauce or apple jelly, chicken pie, mashed and sweet potatoes, celery, creamed onions, turnips, sweet pickles, cheese, fruit, and nuts, with tea and coffee. And, if diners had room for dessert, there was mince, lemon, or pumpkin pie; fruit cake; tarts; and English plum pudding.”

As for Windermere, the building was rumored to have several ghosts. “I wonder if they will still be here, and what they make of it all,” one of the ribbon-cutting attendees mused.

While the building was being completed, Windermere’s agent temporarily set up offices across the street where Mystical Mermaid was formerly located, then briefly a child care facility. The space worked well, but now settling in their new digs, talk around the refreshment table Nov. 21 centered around the building’s fancy features, including a lighted board outside showcasing the newest properties for sale. Previously, Coldwell Banker was the only real estate building that had one.

Franklin gave a tour to a small group during the event. “Many of us quit the gym,” Franklin joked hiking up the staircase. The three-story building consists of a conference room, kitchen and, of course, offices.

With lots of windows and high ceilings, each room feels spacious and well-lit. “I love this space,” one agent commented with a sigh, “It just feels comfortable. Like home.”