From our April, 2010 Newsletter
From Finnish Meat to Coffee
Columbia River Coffee Roaster of Astoria Oregon, was founded in 1992 by Tim Hurd and his wife Nancy. Since then they have grown to become a premier coffee company in the Pacific Northwest. With that growth came the need for a new location. That location was chosen to be 279 W. Marine Drive in Astoria, the old Finnish Meat Market building.
The Finnish Meat Market building was originally built in the mid-1920′s. Located in the heart of Union-town, it was originally designed by the Finnish born architect J.E. Wicks of Astoria. For the new renovation the coffee roasters turned to Jared Rickenbach, of Rickenbach Construction Inc, Astoria. Along with RCI’s architect Michelle Dieffenbah, Jared sought out Bergerson Windows for the fenestration challenge.
Before the decision to remodel in 2007 the building was in disrepair, with many of the windows boarded up with painted plywood. But as many things are, the potential lay underneath these flaws and was waiting to be brought out. So with skill, ingenuity, and elbow grease, the team set out to accomplish the task.
One of the dominant features of the historic storefront is it’s arched transoms. Once uncovered, Bergerson made templates of the original arched openings for use in duplicating the arch. Since it was an elliptical shape and not just a simple radius this step became very necessary.
Another challenge to the project was the corner window posts. For this part of the project we used a copy of the original plans from J.E. Wicks to capture his concept for the corners.
The Roasters’ building used clear Douglas Fir, french doors, picture windows, entry door with side lite, and the arched transoms. The windows and doors seem to let in plenty of natural light, even on overcast and rainy days (which happen pretty often around here).
If you’re in the area come check it out, grab a cup of coffee and a pastry from the Three Cups Coffee shop in front. Pick up a bag of coffee roasted right there in the building to bring home. (For my money it’s gotta be “Clatsop Spit,” or “Tanzania Peaberry.”) And see first hand if Bergerson Windows might be right for you.
All in all, I think that the restoration of an old landmark building served not only to supply our community with flavorful coffee, but also to give a face lift to this historic city. Bergerson is proud to have this building in their list of accomplishments.
The Columbia River Coffee Roasters website is: www.thundermuck.com
To see more about this project on the Bergerson website click here.
- Chris Bergerson
