A prominent downtown Ridgefield building recently received a new look while showcasing the people, places and experiences that have helped shape the community.
Ridgefield Main Street, in partnership with the Port of Ridgefield, has installed large-scale photo panels on the Greely Building as part of a downtown beautification project led by the organization’s Design Committee.
The panels feature images representing Ridgefield’s history, natural landscape, culture and traditions, including the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Chinookan Plankhouse, dragon boats and other recognizable parts of the community.
“This project really represents what Ridgefield Main Street is working to do downtown — create spaces that are welcoming, interesting and distinctly Ridgefield,” said Kelliana Cole, interim executive director of Ridgefield Main Street, in a news release. “We're investing in the physical experience of downtown while also creating a connection to the history, places and experiences that make this community special.”
The project grew out of an effort to improve the appearance of the Greely Building, a structure that Greg Stemp said dates to 1920, when it was constructed as a 10,000-square-foot new car and tractor dealership.
At the time, Ridgefield had a population of just over 600 residents.
Stemp, chair of Ridgefield Main Street’s Design Committee, said the idea came after someone challenged the organization to take on the building as a beautification project.
“And, of course, everybody laughed, but I have no sense of humor. So, I didn't laugh. Instead, I'm thinking, yeah, why don't we fix up the Greeley building?” Stemp said.
Several months later, Stemp said he was walking downtown when he came up with the idea of covering the building’s windows with photographs. The concept was quickly embraced by the Main Street group.
The project was then developed through a collaboration involving the Port of Ridgefield, Ridgefield Main Street, local organizations, individual residents and local company Ballyhoo, which is installing the panels.
Cole said the involvement of a local large-scale printing company was especially helpful in bringing the project to life.
“Large-scale print, it can be a big undertaking, especially for a small nonprofit,” Cole said. “So, to do it and to bring old, tiny photos and make them big is also a huge feat, too.”
The photographs came from a wide range of community contributors, including Alder Creek Kayaks, Chinook Nation, Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, the Community Dragon Boat Program, Ridgefield School District, Ridgefield Heritage Society, Ridgefield Multicultural Initiative and the Ridgefield American Legion, among others.
The result is intended to be more than a visual upgrade to the building.
Sherry Varela, who was involved in the project, said residents have enjoyed seeing their own history represented in the photographs.
She said the project offers an opportunity to celebrate Ridgefield’s identity while the building remains in place.
“It's just a way to beautify something that we probably all know the end result that is going to happen, which that building will come down,” Varela said. “But, in the meantime, it represents who we are.”
Cole said the project also reflects a broader goal of connecting residents and visitors with downtown.
“We have over 30 nonprofits just right here in this small city,” Cole said. “And we were able to really engage them at the beginning of this year. And then Greg was able to then bridge the gap to get them connected to this project because we knew people had pictures.”
That connection is particularly important as Ridgefield continues to grow, Cole said.
The project’s organizers hope the photographs encourage people to stop and look, whether they recognize a piece of Ridgefield’s history or discover something new.
Stemp said different photographs are likely to appeal to different age groups.
For Varela, the photographs offer a reminder of the community’s shared history.
“I think that represents our community as a whole,” she said of the project. “There's so much history I did not know about until going into the multicultural museum.”
Varela said that history is important not only to longtime residents but also to people who have moved to Ridgefield more recently.
“For those of us that are newer transplants, it's a really special place. And I feel so proud that we get to be a part of this community,” Varela said. “I never would have ever dreamed of being part of a community like I get to be here.”
The project has already generated conversations among people visiting downtown. Stemp said people have approached him with questions about individual photographs, even though many did not know he was involved in the project.
“And so this is sparking talking. People are talking to me,” Stemp said.
Varela said the reaction demonstrates how a relatively small project can make a noticeable difference.
“I think it's just that whole thing. A small thing can bring such a huge change,” she said. “And that's a great example that it sparks conversation.”
Cole said those conversations are part of what Ridgefield Main Street hopes to encourage downtown.
“And I really think that's what we're trying to build here in Ridgefield is a connected community,” Cole said. “And especially here in downtown, we want everyone to feel connected to this place somehow.”
The project also could serve as a starting point for future efforts to preserve and share Ridgefield’s history.
Cole said preservation can take many forms, particularly when it comes to a building whose future is uncertain.
“Preservation comes in all different shapes and sizes,” Cole said. “And I think one thing that I'd love to see is like, how do we preserve different parts of that?”
The Greely Building’s history includes its use as an auto body shop, car dealership and bus barn. Cole said those stories should continue to be shared regardless of what ultimately happens to the structure.
“I think it has a story. And I think that story needs to continue to be told,” Cole said.
Varela hopes the project will lead to additional community history projects, potentially including a museum.
“I hope this sparks other projects and other ways that we can show our history,” she said.
For Stemp, the photographs could even provide a model for future development if the Greely Building is eventually replaced.
“I'd say, ‘Hey, let's do it all over again.’ Get a different set of pictures, or whatever,” Stemp said. “And then that way not only is that something brand new and cool for the brand new building, but it ties the new building together.”
He said maintaining that connection to Ridgefield’s past will be important as the downtown continues to change.
“You can build anything you want on there, but if it doesn't tie into the past, nobody cares,” Stemp said.
Ridgefield Main Street described the Greely Building project as one of several ways the nonprofit is investing directly in downtown through beautification, preservation and improvements to the physical environment.
Cole characterized projects such as the photo panels as potential catalysts for additional changes.
“In Main Street organizations, they call those types of projects, catalyst projects,” Cole said. “They're the projects that are the catalyst to other changes.”
Photo contributors for Greely Building
