COAST RIVER BUSINESS JOURNAL
OCTOBER 2019 • 13
BUSINESS NEWS
building until 1965 when it was
purchased by the Ocean Foods
Company.
The concept
The plan calls for the con-
version of two buildings associ-
ated with the fish plant: the can-
nery and its icehouse. Each stand
on one side or the other of Ninth
Street. The cannery will house 31
rooms on its first floor. Rooms
will face either the Columbia
River or the Riverwalk. An addi-
tional six rooms will be created
on the second floor.
The footprint of the icehouse
will be slightly expanded. In
turn, it will be converted to a
small restaurant with two hotel
rooms on its second floor.
Colvin emphasized the overall
building heights will not change.
Further, current views of the
river will be expanded through
the demolition of a large cooler
currently blocking the street end.
He said the pier will be open to
the public and will be a staging
area for tents during specialty
events hosted by the restaurant.
On-site challenges
The buildings were con-
structed on a piling field. Colvin
believes most of the piles are in
good condition, some “like the
day they went in.” Mick Leinwe-
ber, a decades-long pile buck, is
in charge of inspecting the piles
and replacing them as necessary.
Colvin is impressed by Leinwe-
ber’s hands-on knowledge and
appreciates his use of traditional
tools on site.
Unlike net lofts — whose
upper floors were never meant
to support much weight — can-
neries tend to be more stoutly
built. This is true for the Sebas-
tian-Stewart cannery. Heavy
timbers and beams support the
building above a concrete floor
line.
The support system creates a
challenge to design hotel rooms
without destroying some of the
historic nature of the structure.
Fortunately, Colvin, his partners
and Rickenbach Construction —
including co-owner and architect
Michelle Dieffenbach — were
familiar with the design problem.
“We would have shied away
without their experience on the
JOHN GOODENBERGER PHOTOS
The Sebastian-Stewart Fish Company cannery, between the foot of 8th and 9th Streets, is being renovated into the Bowline Hotel.
said Tiffany. “… We want to do
it authentically.”
Sharing an experience
A former icehouse will be expanded and converted to a
restaurant and additional hotel rooms.
Buoy Beer building,” recalled
Brady Turner, one of the proj-
ect’s investors. Brady and his
wife, Tiffany, own Adrift Hotels
Social Purpose Corporation and
will lease the building from Col-
vin and his partners. The Turn-
ers’ previous experience includes
re-invigorating the Adrift Hotel
in Long Beach and “sprucing up”
the Shelburne Inn in Seaview.
Both Turners enjoy working with
older buildings and bringing out
The first floor of the former cannery will house 31 hotel
rooms.
their inherent character.
The vision
As plans develop, one thing
will remain constant: embracing
the industrial feel of the build-
ings. On the outside, the build-
ings will be wrapped in metal
siding, windows will be kept
simple and wood trim will be
of traditional design. The over-
all shape of the hotel will change
very little.
Inside, wood posts, beams and
joists will remain exposed. Orig-
inal volumes will be retained as
much as possible. So, too, will
the concrete floors. The Turn-
ers plan to contrast the existing
materials and spaces with high-
end furnishings and rugs. Rooms
will gain both aesthetic and phys-
ical warmth through European
gas fireplaces.
“We love the area — Asto-
ria — for its maritime history,”
The Bowline Hotel, as pro-
posed, will stand in contrast to
typical chain hotels. There, the
concept is to offer guests the
same experience no matter where
they might be in the world.
Instead, the Bowline Hotel seeks
a different kind of visitor, one
whom is seeking a place-based
experience.
The Turners said it is their
company’s identified mission
to not only be true to a build-
ing’s character, but to tell the
story of its context. “We want
bring visitors to a place that we
love and give that experience
for a two-night stay,” explained
Tiffany. “Giving [the building]
life now allows us to share that
experience.”
For more information about
renovating an old home or com-
mercial building, visit the Lower
Columbia Preservation Society
website at lcpsociety.org.