On the Bellingham waterfront are six industrial tanks that are currently being reconsidered as public art.
The tanks are 65 feet in height, 18 feet in diameter, and made of steel joined with large round rivets. They are on a site of a former pulp and paper mill of Georgia-Pacific that used them to turn wood chips into pulp.
According to John Reid, the architect working with Harcourt Developments on the first steps to renew the site, these behemoths have the potential to acknowledge the history of the site and may have secret pieces of sculpture hidden inside them.
When the plant was put out of business, the city bought the site in the 1960s and opened it as a park in 1975, incorporating elements of the old plant. Earlier this year, the Port of Bellingham said it would keep only the three oldest tanks, but after talks with Rob Fix, Executive Director of the Port, Reid and Harcourt got the port to retain the six oldest tanks.
Cost may be a factor in what is ultimately done with the site, said Mike Hogan, a spokesman for the port, but the community is working with a Bellingham-based art collective and others that have interest in the site. Flyers may be used to distribute throughout the community to provide more information on the project, and gather input from residents and businesses.
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