Edmonds Icon To Be Torn Down on Monday

Edmonds has its own version of a plot point in Back to the Future, the 1985 movie that had residents begging to “save the clock tower.”

On Monday, construction crews will tear down the vacant Washington Federal bank building, a familiar site at Main Street and Third Avenue since the 1960s. Originally Pioneer Bank and then Metropolitan Savings, it was purchased by Washington Federal in the 1990s. The building, designed with a nautical theme, features two large clocks, one facing Main and the other facing Third.

“People set their time by it,” said ’s Jack Durney. Durney was the most recent manager of the old location before moving his staff in May 2010 to its temporary location at Fifth Avenue South and Dayton Street. That site was formerly occupied by Horizon Bank, one of 18 branches Seattle-based Washington Federal Savings and Loan Association assumed after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) shut down Horizon Bank in January 2010.

The old Washington Federal will open Aug. 1 as the new Washington Federal, and Durney and his staff will relocate back to the original location. One of the two clocks will be saved, but Durney says it’s too early to know if it will be incorporated into the new design.

Durney said several customers have already expressed their desire that at least one clock remain at the new location as a testament to the building’s past—and so they can easily tell the time when in the vicinity.

Cathy Cooper, a spokeswoman for Washington Federal, says the $1.165 million renovation represents an investment in Edmonds’ downtown core. The renovation is being done by Craft Architects in Seattle and Baker Construction & Development in Spokane.

Cooper said efforts will be made to mitigate traffic disruption during Monday’s tear-down. “We are right next to the post office, so folks will want to know if they should avoid the area on that day.”

Washington Federal’s construction will include upgrading sidewalks, curbs and ramps. Plans also include upgrading storm drainage, planting new trees on Main Street and installing a pedestrian sitting area.

The branch will have an ATM, which the old one did not have, and a two-lane drive-up window.

Washington Federal’s departure from Fifth and Dayton means the loss of two major tenants at the Washington Federal Building in recent month. moved farther west on Dayton to the Harbor Square Business Complex.