Chelan County Commissioner Honored Preservation Work

Port of Chelan County Commissioner Rory Turner has spent years as a private developer reviving historic buildings throughout Washington State. Along the way, he continues to be recognized for his great work revitalizing these buildings.

This week Mr. Turner received The Valerie Sivinski Award from the WA State Historic Preservation Office for Outstanding Historic Building Rehabilitation for his work on the 1923 Elks Building in downtown Ellensburg, WA. After years of neglect and disrepair, Mr. Turner focused his development and building rehabilitation expertise on bringing the building back to prominence and multi-functional use. The Ellensburg Elks Building now has two restaurants, office space for commercial use and non-profit organizations, and a restored lodge room for use as an event center.

This Award is not the first award Turner has received for rehabilitating downtown spaces. In 2016, Turner received the Excellence on Main Award from the WA State Main Street Program for the Ellensburg Elks Building as well as Turner’s work in the Wenatchee Downtown. Wenatchee buildings rehabilitated and preserved for their historic structure and story include the Exchange Building, Wenatchee Hotel and the Dore Building.

The Port of Chelan County supported similar historic preservation work in 2012 with the redevelopment of the Pybus Building (Morse Steel) in downtown Wenatchee. The Pybus Market Charitable Foundation led by Mike and Joann Walker, the City of Wenatchee and the Port collaborated to preserve and rehabilitate the decrepit Pybus industrial building. Today the Pybus Public Market is home to 16 restaurant or retail businesses and the Wenatchee Farmers Market.

Commissioner Turner was elected Commissioner for the Port of Chelan County in 2015. His deep experience in commercial development brings a unique expertise to the Port Commission in its efforts to improve the economy through real estate and business development as well as business recruitment.