WSU: Visitor Center needs upgrade

When people come to Washington State University for the first time, school officials believe the visitors should have quick access to information about the institution's accomplishments, mission and goals.

"You should be able to have touch-screen displays that talk about our research and allow people to connect with our disciplines in our colleges and athletics," said Melvin Taylor, executive director of real estate and local relations at WSU.

The university's current visitor center, located at 225 N. Grand Ave. in what was originally a Union Pacific Railroad depot, does not serve that purpose, said Taylor, who described the facility as a place where people essentially come to pick up parking passes and maps of the Pullman campus.

"The decision was made that we need to make the visitor center more vibrant and interpretive, or we need to get out of the visitor business," Taylor said.

He is exploring options for an upgrade to the facility using funds from the university's real estate budget. But Taylor said the 32,000 square foot property and 4,300 square foot depot also have been put up for sale, for an asking price of $1.65 million.

If the land sells and the sale approved by WSU's Board of Regents, Taylor said the university will use the money to build a new visitor center on university-owned property near the intersection of Main and Spring streets, in accordance with the school's master plan.

Since the depot was put on the market two or three months ago, Coldwell Banker Tomlinson broker Chud Wendle said he has received several calls about the property, which includes on-site parking, a drive-through window and a walk-in vault.

"A couple of banks have considered the building, and then there have been other inquiries from investors," Wendle said. "One of (the banks) has done quite a bit of work with an engineer looking at the site. The others are more preliminary ... conversations and questions."

Historical value

Union Pacific built the depot structure around 1938 to replace a "little shack" that previously housed the train station, said Cindy Held, visitor center coordinator.

It is important to try to preserve the historical value of the property, Wendle said. The structure now boasts a vaulted ceiling in its main lobby, which was constructed using "beautiful" exposed hand hewn timbers.

Held said she regularly hears stories from WSU alumni who recall coming to the depot when traveling to and from school by train.

Through the years the building changed hands several times, but it eventually was purchased by Washington Mutual bank and later donated to WSU. The depot was initially used as office space before becoming the university's athletic ticket office. In 1996, WSU officials decided to develop a visitor center.

"We've been in here since then," Held said.

She was not concerned about the depot's potential sale or the effect a new visitor center could have on operations.

"We go with the flow," Held said. "Our goal ... is to take care of the people who come through and make sure they have a productive time on campus."

A move across town could cause some confusion at first, but Held said Taylor's vision for the future of the center would enhance visitors' experiences in the long run.

"It would be nice, as people come through, to see updates of what's going on on campus," she said. "We're limited now (when it comes) to providing that information."

Dan Antoni, a broker at Coldwell Banker Cougar Junction and owner of the Pufferbelly Depot in Pullman, pointed to another benefit that could come from the sale of the depot.

"When WSU or a state entity owns real estate, there's no contribution to the tax base - they're tax exempt," he said. "If (the depot) was purchased by a private party, then there would be taxes paid to the county. That would be a good thing."

He was not concerned that a buyer would raze the building, which is advertised as a "prestigious historical Pullman landmark."

"I don't believe anybody's going to tear down the WSU depot," Antoni said. "The trend is to keep the historical nostalgia."

Although no restrictions or contingencies have been attached to the depot property, Taylor said officials have expressed a desire to see the space preserved.

"It's a beautiful old building, and we'd hope whoever buys it would keep it in its historic form," Taylor said.

Katie Roenigk can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 301, or by email to kroenigk@dnews.com.