Location: Snoqualmie, Washington
Client: Northwest Railway Museum
Cost: $350,000 (construction)
Size: 6,000 SF
Completion Date: 2024

The Snoqualmie Depot was originally constructed for the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway in 1890 in the Queen Anne (Late Victorian Period) style. The building is listed on the Washington State and National Register of Historic Places, and a contributing building to the Snoqualmie Historic District. The Snoqualmie Depot is representative of a type of building that once was the pride of every community of any size across the nation.


The one-story, light wood framed structure features a double-pitch cedar shake roof, which was last replaced in 1996. Richaven served as the Architect, Historic Architect and Construction Manager to provide architectural and consultation services for the replacement of the cedar shake roof, including drawings, specifications, material research, bid support, and construction administration for a design-bid-building project delivery. Construction is set to
take place in the Summer of 2024.


Specific technical preservation issues include:

  • Replacing the cedar shingles in-kind placed in a pattern and feature particular shapes including a single butt, diamond, and round leading edges
  • Extension of rafter tails that had been previously cut with powder coated plates and wood blocks
  • Material sourcing and quality control for cedar shingles
  • New copper half round high-back gutters and powder coated downspouts (because copper downspouts were subject to theft and damage)