The
Creation of a Historic District
A Little History
One of the first inland communities in the Puget Sound
Region, Snohomish began in 1859 at the ferry crossing of the Snohomish
River for the military road between Fort Steilacoom and Fort Bellingham.
The town-site quickly grew as a center of transportation and commerce,
and for 30 years was the county seat of Snohomish County. Connection to
Puget Sound was along the river, first by canoe and then by steamship.
These were eventually augmented, and then replaced by rail. Ensuing
years found the City prosperous and successful with a strong commercial
and community identity. Basic enterprises included sawmills, which
produced lumber from the huge cedar trees native to the area; and plants
which processed and packaged the agriculture products grown in the
adjacent river valleys.
 Since its founding, Snohomish has endured the typical
difficulties suffered by older central cities, including a major fire
which destroyed a number of the buildings along First Street; and
flooding which has eroded the south side of the First Street area
adjacent to the river. Local forest product and food processing mills
closed, eroding the basic employment sector of the City. A bypass was
built for Highway US 2, which originally came through town. The First
Street commercial district fell on hard times, with traditional stores
unable to compete with automobile-oriented businesses on the strip
commercial streets in the City, and regional shopping opportunities in
the nearby I-5 corridor.
Locals say that in the 1960s a cannon shot down First
Street in Snohomish would have hit no moving thing. The anxiety
experienced by this decline is evidenced by a plan prepared for the City
in 1965, which proposed replacing many of the existing structures along
First Street with a covered mall! Fortunately the City had not the funds
for urban renewal.
Historic District and Design Review
Two events occurred that served as catalysts to the
economic rebirth of historic downtown: 1) In 1973, a 26-block area was
designated as an Historic District on the National Register of Historic
Places; and, 2) Downtown merchants began to market the City as The
Antique Capital of the Northwest. The City placed an overlay zone on the
Historic District that required review of exterior design and signage.
These two actions created an environment that
stimulated investment in the rehabilitation of both the commercial and
residential portions of the Historic District. The review of design in
the historic overlay district has encouraged restoration of historic
structures, ensuring that the historic environment of the commercial
district can be the basis of a long-term marketing strategy.
The City of Snohomish has adopted three documents as
design guidelines:
 The Design Review Board (DRB)
prepares recommendations on Historic
District Design Standards to forward to the Planning
Commission and City Council for adoption.
When reviewing applications, the DRB uses the
following general principals:
 | Existing historic structures should be returned as
much as possible to their original architecture, reflecting the period
in which they were constructed. |
| The City is not be a theme town, and new structures
must be well designed, but are not required to be designed to attain a
certain period architecture.
|
Traditional City (not Neo) and New Commerce
The establishment of the Historic District, coupled
with the change in marketing direction, has made the Historic Business
District a day-trip destination for the region. As this area became
stronger economically, it attracted increasing investment in restoration
of existing structures and new construction. It also attracted a greater
variety of shops and restaurants that are assured of a steady stream of
foot traffic.
 The Historic District serves as a backdrop for annual
shows and festivals, including a tour of homes, tour of gardens, classic
motorcycle show, classic auto show, Easter parade, and other community
festivals which can attract up to 20,000 visitors a day.
The turn-of-the-century main street environment, which
many communities now wish to attain, has attracted modest-sized
light-manufacturing and high-tech firms. Owners of these firms
appreciate the scale of the City, and find the commute to larger centers
of commerce in the region intolerable.
Future Vision or "All Roads Lead to Snohomish"
 The "past as prologue" applies to the City's
plan to continue the improvement of the Historic Business District.
Snohomish figures prominently as a major point of connection of the King
and Snohomish Counties regional trail systems, and the connection of
that regional system with Everett and other Puget Sound waterfront
communities. Since Snohomish was one of the first developed townsites in
this region, many road and railroad connections were made in the area.
Most of the rail lines have been abandoned, and Snohomish County has
adopted a pedestrian and bicycle trail plan to reuse these
rights-of-way. Several links have already been constructed.
 One of the prominent trail links is planned in the
City along the Snohomish River, adjacent to historic downtown. This
trail improvement is designed to echo the original riverfront wharf, an
early source of considerable commerce within the City. Not only is this
a trail linkage, but this investment in the riverfront is intended as an
incentive for businesses to become oriented towards the river.
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