Remember the historic grange in Tumwater? Now it’s a historic Starbucks

Three years ago commercial real estate broker and developer Tom Schrader bought a historic meeting hall in Tumwater, otherwise known as Chambers Prairie Grange No. 191, at the corner of Henderson Boulevard and Yelm Highway.

Schrader envisioned restoring the building so that a business, perhaps a coffee shop, would occupy the space and put it to good use.

Then, Northwest coffee giant Starbucks took an interest in the site and announced plans for a new store on that corner, wanting to save as much of the grange as possible, Schrader told The Olympian in August 2017.

Thirteen months later, the Starbucks opened Thursday in the former grange hall. And if you questioned whether much of the grange would remain after Starbucks got its hands on the building, you’re in for a surprise.

It is still mostly a grange hall, with a few modern touches, such as a new roof and some new doors and windows. But much of the more than 100-year-old building remains intact, including window frames and panes, flooring, a chimney, siding, an interior door and wall fans operated with a tug of a rope.

The former grange hall stage, which was made of Douglas Fir, was broken down and incorporated into an open beam area of the ceiling that gives the space a rustic touch, but also allows light to filter in from skylights.

It’s a large space for a Starbucks. Starbucks construction project manager Cheryl Nicholson said most of its stores are 2,000 square feet or less, but the new grange location is more than 2,800 square feet. A patio also was added for outdoor seating.

“I want people to sit and stay,” said Schrader this week about the kind of experience he wanted to create. Schrader signed a longterm lease with Starbucks, he said.

But if you don’t want to stay, there is a drive-thru lane that winds in front of the building and gives motorists a good look at the grange before turning right to the drive-thru window. Vehicles enter and exit the property from both Henderson Boulevard and Yelm Highway.

In a nod to the history of the grange — fraternal organizations that have roots in farming and agriculture — Schrader has placed historic farm equipment on the property as part of the landscaping. The building was built for the grange in 1909 and remained a grange hall until about 2002.

Perhaps the most important touch: The Chambers Prairie Grange sign, which once hung on the exterior of the building, has now found a home inside.

This story was originally published September 27, 2018 at 4:56 PM with the headline "Remember the historic grange in Tumwater? Now it’s a historic Starbucks."