Published September 26 2016
The historic F.W. Winters House, occupied by the Eastside Heritage Center and occasionally rented for small weddings, will close on Oct. 1 for approximately four years for construction of Sound Transit's East Link light rail line.
The Eastside Heritage Center's archive and research services will be relocated for the duration of the closure. To access the collection, call 425-450-1049 or email collections@eastsideheritagecenter.org.
The Mercer Slough Blueberry Farm parking lot is expected to close in early 2017. A temporary parking lot will be built just south of the South Bellevue park-and-ride for Mercer Slough Nature Park users. The lot will be monitored to ensure that the spaces are used by park visitors.
Like the Winters House, the farm will close for four years. Seasonal blueberries and farm fresh produce will still be available at the Larsen Lake Blueberry Farm and the Southeast 16th Street Farm Fresh Produce Stand in the Lake Hills Greenbelt.
Following construction of East Link, Mercer Slough blueberry sales operations will move to a new structure adjacent to the Winters House. The sales stand will have farm-fresh produce offerings, public restrooms and new boardwalks linking to the blueberry fields.
The Winters House was built in 1929 in Spanish Eclectic style for $32,000 by Frederick and Cecilia Winters. It is the only property owned by the city of Bellevue listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Steps to protect the structure during construction will include:
- Frequent city inspections;
- Monitoring devices to detect ground movements;
- On-site evaluation of excavation and construction by geotechnical engineers; and
- A construction barrier and dust control measures around the house.
Sound Transit anticipates construction of the South Bellevue segment of East Link to begin as early as January. Before construction begins, the South Bellevue Park-and-Ride will be closed (closure expected to last for approximately five years).