E.M. Day on right in 1905 photo
E.M. Day Building (1890)
1211 11th Street
This single-story structure was sandwiched between the Terminal Building and the Monahan Building and was constructed during the building boom of 1890 when real estate investors were expecting the Great Northern Railroad terminus to be located in Fairhaven.
It was originally a wooden structure that housed two separate offices, one of which was occupied by the building’s owner, Milton R. Staight with his real estate business, Staight and Butler (later, McKinley, Staight and Butler).
Photo Credit: 1905 Rembrandt Studio Photo Whatcom Museum
One of the early tenants of the office on the north end of the building was Edwin Mahalon Day who moved to Bellingham Bay from the Midwest in 1890. Both a publisher and an attorney, E.M. Day was involved in many local ventures and achieved prominence as judge advocate general of Washington, appointed by Governor Rogers. Day occupied the building from the early 1890s to 1907.
In 1899, the building was sold to blacksmith, John E. Tierney who later occupied the building, combined the two offices and sold cigars. In 1928, Tierney began repairs to the floor and remodeled both the side walls and front of the building in brick, adding a billiard parlor to his cigars and fish tackle business.
Over the years, this building has undergone a number of changes in style and types of business ventures. Since 1974, it has been the home of Dirty Dan's restaurant, with a remodeled interior and exterior.
According to the Cascadia Weekly on July 13, 2024, The status of Dirty Dan Harris Steakhouse, which experienced severe water damage after the Terminal Building next door burned in December, remains unclear - even for the owners of the restaurant and the building.
With the destruction of the Terminal Building, (information can be found, unfortunately under Vanished Landmarks), the EM Day Building is now the oldest historic building in Fairhaven.