Old Wenatchee Jail, after half a century of slumber, slated for massive renovation

WENATCHEE — Graham Baba Architects is spearheading the careful renovation of the historic Old Wenatchee Jail, a brick vernacular structure built in 1910. The goal of this restoration is to maintain the building's distinct personality while transforming it into the focal point of a new downtown Wenatchee attraction.

The design prioritizes respecting the site's past and strengthening its relationship with the urban environment. The firm plans to meticulously remove impeding structures and replace them with a finely detailed, landscaped plaza, providing a communal space for both residents and tourists in Wenatchee's historic district.

Two new contemporary masonry buildings, housing tasting rooms, restaurants, and retail spaces, will flank the restored jailhouse, all centered around a shared courtyard. Together, these areas will aim to create a lively culinary and cultural center on the southern edge of downtown.

This project will introduce six new commercial spaces: Two within the Old Jail and four across the two new buildings. Graham Baba was commissioned to design four of these six spaces, all to be managed by a single restaurant group but each with its own distinct concept and identity. These concepts are designed to operate at varying times throughout the day, ensuring the continuous vibrancy of the site.

One of the new buildings will feature a two-level restaurant: a relaxed, daytime ground-floor space highlighting a prominent pizza oven that serves both levels, and a more formal upper-floor dining experience for the evening. The Old Jailhouse will accommodate a European-inspired larder, deli, and small market on the ground floor, offering house-made take-out items and specially selected groceries, with a speakeasy situated above. The interior design of both incorporates original architectural elements of the jail, preserving and celebrating the building’s unique character.

This addition to Wenatchee’s already-robust and diverse downtown shopping and dining experience could prove to be one of the most visited areas in the city, and it’s so centralized that it’s easily accessible to the surrounding area via all main roads that traverse the city.

The Old Jailhouse was right under your nose all this time, and now what’s planned will bring a vibrancy to downtown that could come sooner than you think.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media