The influence from outside.

As mentioned in my previous post, there is an attempt rolling in from the larger cities to drive some sense of community and culture towards Gray's Harbor. It is both an exciting and uncomfortable notion and to have it come from such powerful, outside forces makes me question their knowledge of the area the what they will be faced with. I took a day to look into some recent projects funded by outside entities and found some really interesting information:


Photo by: Tiggywinkle

The Morck Hotel: A restoration venture by Seattleite developer Chester Trabucco known for his success in restoring Astoria's 1924 Hotel Elliot to a four star boutique hotel. The Morck Hotel was the highlight of Aberdeen for some time being "the spot" for weddings, receptions, shopping and high school dances. There are local tales of a magnificent ballroom showcasing the grandeur of the lumber industry with exquisite wood inlays and decorations. For the past 40 years or so, it has been used for low income housing being one of the only places near the downtown area sizable enough for families.

With a little techy snooping, WhoIs.net points out that, as of March 19, 2008, the last update to the Morck Hotel website was December 4, 2006. Around June 2007, one of the primary backers, John Yonich, a Bellevue man and a graduate of Aberdeen High School, took legal action against Trabucco. With $750,000 already invested in the project, Yonich stated that Trabucco's plans did not make good financial sense and hoped that the legal action would either hand the project over to him or prove that Trabucco had the money to finish the project. This has left the hotel project in a mixed state. It is now painted a bright yellow color with purple trim and, for some time, a pickup truck painted with the same paints lingered along the side of the building.

(cont...)

Sources: The Daily World: June 13, 2007