Strand Hotel building’s future unknown EVERETT - Almost a year after a fire, the Strand Hotel building downtown still sits unused.
A fire broke out last October in the three-story building at 2938 Colby Avenue that spread and caused extensive fire and smoke damage. The converted hotel has been a fixture on Colby Avenue between Hewitt and Pacific avenues for almost a century.
It’s up to the building’s owners whether the Strand gets rebuilt or torn down, said Police Department code enforcement supervisor Kevin Fagerstrom, who determined the building should be condemned.
The building’s owners, Les and Britt Lee, could not be reached for comment. More than one of their listed phone numbers was disconnected. The city also hasn’t heard from the owners.
“The building will clearly need to be rebuilt,” Fagerstrom said. “The building is secure and so the city is satisfied at this point and will patiently await the owners’ final plan.”
The building is almost 100 years old; construction work began in 1914, according to the historical group Historic Everett.
The Oct. 5, 2011 fire started from an unattended candle left in an upstairs apartment. About 40 people were evacuated.
The fire caused an estimated $230,000 in damage. There is smoke damage throughout the building and fire damage in at least two apartment units. Three street-level businesses inside the building were closed.
The building did not have a sprinkler system.
