From the Idaho Panhandle

Beardmore Block Garners Yet Another Award

By Cate Huisman, 10-13-10

	The entryway of the rebuilt Beardmore Block includes historic photos of its past.

Having been recognized statewide with a Grow Smart Award from Idaho Smart Growth, and regionally with a Grand Award for Adaptive Re-Use at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference, Priest River’s venerable Beardmore Block has now garnered national recognition with an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History. It was the only project in the inland Northwest to receive such an award this year.

Unlike the building’s previous awards, which focused on its architectural merits, the new award recognizes that the renaissance of the Beardmore Block represents a significant achievement in preserving a valuable piece of local history. “Now in its 65th year, the award was established to encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation and interpretation of state and local history throughout the United States,” says architect Brian Runberg’s press release. 

Runberg is, not coincidentally, the great-grandson of 1920s timber baron Charles Beardmore, who commissioned construction of the building to house his growing empire in 1922. The Great Depression brought down Beardmore’s fortunes, and Runberg watched his great-grandfather’s great edifice deteriorate during his childhood summers at Priest River and Priest Lake.

By 2006, Runberg had grown to become a successful architect, and he was ready to rescue the building. In keeping with the values of his architecture firm, he renovated it to be “green” as well, with new insulation, solar panels on the roof, and windows rebuilt with thermal glass. It’s one of only five historic buildings in the U.S. to have achieved LEED “gold” certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Now the sites of a former market and drugstore downstairs are occupied by a wine bar called Noni and the Vitalife spa, café, and smoothie bar. Upstairs, there are still professional offices, but where dentists drilled 80 years ago, there are now offices of accountants and engineers, as well as a large meeting space that has been used for community celebrations and fund-raising soirees.

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.