Whatcom County Museum of History and Art

The Whatcom Museum of History and Art (housed in the Old City Hall) was originally built in 1892 as the city hall for the former town of New Whatcom, before it was joined with surrounding towns to form the City of Bellingham, Washington.

The building served as city hall from 1892-1936; the new city hall opened on Lottie Street in 1939 and the museum opened in 1941. The galleries on the first floor were once the treasurer and comptroller’s offices. The main gallery on the second floor served first as an armory and then was used as the city council chamber and courtroom. The clock tower, accessible via a spiral staircase, offers a 360-degree panorama of Bellingham and Bellingham Bay.

http://www.whatcommuseum.org