With the newspaper staff moving, here’s what’s happening to the iconic Herald sign

With the staff of The Bellingham Herald moving into new office space in the Barkley district, the company will be leaving a building that has played a key role in downtown for nearly 100 years.

The second floor the newspaper staff is vacating will undergo renovation and be available for lease. At 8,210 square feet, Daylight Properties would like to find a single user for the second floor but would also consider remodeling to create smaller spaces for multiple tenants, Kane Hall said in an interview. He expects the second floor to be used as office space.

The other floors of the building are nearly completely occupied and are home to a variety of tenants, including restaurants, retailers, salons and Western Washington University.

The Herald Building on North State Street will keep its iconic look, including the Herald sign that lights up the downtown landscape, said Kane Hall of Daylight Properties, which manages both the building and the 10-foot-tall Herald letters.

That sense of place the sign provides makes it a poignant centerpiece for events. On Sept. 25 the sign will play a part in the fourth annual Paint Bellingham Blue event that welcomes Western Washington University students back to the area. Kane Hall said last year 2,500 students marched from campus to the downtown area for a variety of events, including seeing the Herald sign turn blue.