Everett Archives: The Wall Street Building
From the outside, the ten-story building at 2930 Wall Street sometimes looks like it isn’t there. The mirrored windows reflect the sky so that sometimes the edifice looks like a giant sunset or a sunrise — stark against a background of blue sky. As the sun rises, the building throws bright patches of bounced light onto nearby alleys and businesses.
The Wall Street Building, built in 1983, is a focal point of downtown Everett. From the inside floors, you can catch views of Possession Sound, the Cascade and Olympic mountains, Gedney Island, Whidbey Island.
The “Wall Street Building” (as it’s still colloquially known) was renamed as the Everett Municipal Building in 2019. The change in name was to help reduce confusion about the purpose that the place serves.
As far as building names go, “municipal building” is not a very exciting title. Still, it is impressive when you consider how vital this edifice is to the surrounding areas. Inside the building are the Everett mayoral offices and the city’s human resources department. The Office of Neighborhoods is located here, as well as the Cultural Arts Commission.
One floor in the building houses the local offices of the United States Forest Service. The Everett-based USFS is in charge of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest on behalf of the federal government.
Significantly, the Wall Street Building is also home to several pieces of municipal art, including a ten-foot oil painting of early Everett that hangs in the lobby. This somewhat primitive painting is of early settlement in Port Gardner Bay. In the painting, ships can be seen in the harbor, and the hills of Port Gardner are still mostly forested. Hewitt Avenue appears as a muddy road.
A painting of early Everett by Chuck Sorenson hangs in the lobby.
On the tenth floor is the mayor’s office. In the lobby of this floor there used to hang portraits of all of the Everett mayors. These watercolor paintings were by esteemed local artist Bernie Webber. Webber was a master of watercolors, and civic pride and city assets were regular subjects of his paintings. (His work can be seen, among other places, at Garfield Elementary, where a large Webber painting showcases notable alumni. Also, Bernie Webber Drive at Paine Field has been named after this famous artist.)
Again, it’s worth noting that important, city- and region-altering decisions come out of the Wall Street Building. Hence, its dominant, prominent presence in the Everett Downtown skyline seems appropriate.
Today the Wall Street Building can be seen glinting on a hill from miles away, a beacon of municipal strength. Next time you see it, pause for a moment to appreciate the work that goes on inside its mirrored exterior.
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