Historic Langley

1983: Porter Office Building Built.

A house belonging to James Herbert ("Bert") Hunziker and his wife Edith ("Edie") was the first structure at the northwest corner of Third Street and Anthes Avenue. The last of John Fredrick Hunziker's descendants to come to Langley, Bert and Edie came to Langley in 1924. Edie served as volunteer Langley librarian for more than 30 years. Bert died in 1956 and Edie in 1975.

1969. Herbert Hunziker house (arrow) (Courtesy South Whidbey Historical Society).

1983: Porter Building built

1983. Porter Building under construction (Courtesy Dan Porter).

Robert ("Bob") Porter and his son Jim purchased three lots where the Hunziker house had been and erected a two-story building there in 1983. Known as the Porter Building, it was the largest commercial building in Langley. Numerous businesses leased space over the years, and the interior of the building was remodeled to accommodate them.

1983. Robert (right) and Jim Porter in front of the newly completed Porter Building (Courtesy Dan Porter).

The first tenant in 1984 was June Bell's Home for Design business. Porter Insurance occupied the top floor. In addition to Porter Insurance and Home for Design, a total of 15 other businesses occupied space for various lengths of time in the 1980's, including Island Home Nursing, Saint Yves, a crises nursery, and several law and business offices.

Janet Ploof and Jane Chervenell opened "Island Travel" in the Southwest corner upstairs on March 1, 1987. Tim Martin's law office occupied the southeast corner. According to Jane, "Computers were owned by United Airlines with better, more direct access to all airline schedules and fares...etc." Tickets to anywhere United Airlines flies" provided by the airline for our opening party were won by Rick and Helga Jean Capps. Island Travel moved to the Langley Village in 1992.

Lynn Hays had Rockfish Press in the northeast corner of the first floor for a "couple years." When the Spring Valley Press in the former Norman Clyde Motors on Anthes Avenue closed in 1985, Lynn and several volunteers moved several presses down the street on rollers and into the Porter Building, along with lots of lead type and other equipment.

1986. Lynn Hays at work in the Rockfish Press office (Courtesy Lynn Hays).

Another 9 businesses had space there in the 1990's, including the Whidbey Record office that moved into the left side of the ground floor from across the street in 1993. Whidbey Children's Theater, founded by Martha Murphy, moved into the ground floor in 2004, and Island Palates and Whidbey Island Yoga occupied the second story.

Circa 1990. Porter Office Building (Courtesy Langley City Hall).

When the Whidbey Children's Theater moved to the Langley Middle School building in 2014, Erin Rodriquez's Salish Sea Physical Therapy occupied a portion of the vacated space.

In 2015, Eric Richmond of Flat Rock Productions designed a new exterior and Michael Stadler moved his photography studio into the remaining vacated Children Theater space.

2018. Porter Building (Courtesy Robert Waterman).

In 2019, Keller Williams Real Estate moved into space vacated by the Stadler Photography Studio, the cladding on the building was replaced, and Salish Sea PT moved to Clinton. The Tova Company, a computer and office supply equipment wholesalers, occupied the space vacated by Salish Sea PT in 2020. Pilates Collective and Whidbey Island Yoga shared the space on the second floor.

2019. Keller Williams Real Estate Office (Courtesy Robert Waterman).