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1866 Granville Haller House

Stay attuned to what is happening to the house by visiting our updates & news page:

Since 2013 Historic Whidbey’s prime project has been the acquisition and rehabilitation of the 1866 Colonel Granville and Henrietta Haller House at 1 NE Front Street in Coupeville. This historic house was the grandest pioneer home on Whidbey Island when it was built, but it was in danger of succumbing to demolition by neglect by 2012. Thanks to a committed and generous community, as well as the visionary and brave grantors listed below, we were able to acquire the house in 2018. Since then, we have come a long way towards returning the home to its original prominence in the town’s historic waterfront.

Together we have stabilized and rehabilitated the full exterior of the house, including a new roof, new foundation, and rehabbed porches & original windows. We have rebuilt the chimney to seismic code with original bricks and installed new redwood gutters as part of the new stormwater and perimeter drainage system. We have reconstructed the lost conservatory bay that once housed Henrietta Haller’s indoor garden, and we have reinforced the interior framing to withstand all that earthquakes and storms can throw at it for the next 150 years.

What’s next?

Now that the house is safe from the elements, we look forward to turning our sights inside the house. Gutted to accommodate insulation and house systems, the walls will finally be closed up again and surfaces refinished with reproduction finishes. With the continued support of our generous community and grantors, we look forward to welcoming the public inside in time to celebrate the Nation’s 250th birthday in 2026!

The house has changed a lot since our take over in 2018. Follow our ongoing progress via our updates page.

2019 was marked with a brand new cedar single roof protecting the house from further weather damage and presenting a cheerier welcome to visitors approaching downtown on Main Street.
2020/2021 had us lift the house and pour a brand new concrete foundation. Before the house was resting on piled stones, logs, and old stumps. This additional, while not historically accurate, will help the house survive many more years.
2022 really helped the house shine. Some primer paint and a recreation of the original conservatory really brought the house back from lost amongst the bushes to a fixture of Front St. once again.
2023 we completed the exterior paint while simultaneously preparing the inside for modern amenities such as electricity and plumbing.
2024 is scheduled for even more great improvements!

Thanks to the Ebey’s Reserve Preservation grant program (funded by Washington State’s Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation), we are able to commence with further rehabilitation towards our goal of creating a Territorial Heritage Center.

We are also always looking for volunteers, send us a message to learn how you can help!

Heritage Center Project

Washington Territorial Heritage Center

Proposed floor plan

Click to zoom to see how we plan to use the space.

The imposing Haller House was not typical of the small cabins and saltboxes being built elsewhere in the Territory in the 1850s and 60’s. Lucky thing! It is the only surviving house large enough to display interactive exhibits interpreting Washington's Territorial Period – a complex time when three Native and two European cultures converged and often clashed in this Coast Salish homeland. New interpretive exhibits in the two front parlors will introduce the public to the little-known stories of this era – from multiple, diverse perspectives.

Arriving with the U.S. Army in the Washington Territory in 1854, the Hallers were active participants in many of the dramatic events of the 1850s. Home of ring-side witnesses, the Haller House is the perfect place to share the little-known and prickly history of early Washington.

Demonstration Heritage Town Garden

There will plenty of places around the restored landscape to sit, relax and enjoy the views of Penn Cove. Restoring the gardens with Henrietta Haller’s horticultural tastes in mind is a high priority, as is making the grounds as ADA accessible as possible. This future heritage site will add depth and meaning to Coupeville’s unique historic waterfront.

Haller Mercantile & Soda Fountain

Haller's store was a fixture in Coupeville for many years, even after the Haller family left town for the big city of Seattle. We will honor that history with our own mercantile store in the back ell of the house – the former 1859 Brunn cabin.

Our new mercantile store will be a 19th century shopping experience, offering heritage crafts from local artisans (pottery, textiles, woodworking), era-appropriate entertainments and snacks, books & maps, and a real Victorian soda fountain with sarsaparilla, egg creams and root beer floats - the treats that made the West great!