In today's post I would like to write about another cool old building I found hiding in one of the alleys near downtown Wenatchee. This old building, now abandoned, is located at the intersection of South Wenatchee Avenue and Kittitas Street. It appears at one time this building faced Wenatchee Ave. but some time ago, a few buildings were built in front of it.
With a quick Google search, I discovered this was the original Chelan County jail. Later in its life it became a hotel, then more recently a storage facility. But now it looks very unused. Here is a little article from the Wenatchee World discussing more of the history on this building.
So now for the fun part! What could this building be? The form of this building could lend itself to many uses. With the height of the building, the upper floor windows have a view just above the buildings in front of it. This could serve as a really cool restaurant with great views of the valley. Or perhaps a brewery with the brewing operation on the lower level and a bar on the upper level. Or how about a coffee roasting business? I think the nostalgia of once being an old jail could give new businesses an exciting story to build off. Perhaps "Jailhouse Brewing"?
I am unsure the future of this building but, I would love to see this rehabilitated into a vibrant new business that could someday contribute to the rich nature of downtown Wenatchee.
Thanks for reading! Comment down below if you have any other cool ideas for this building.