BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Yesterday marks one year since a fire destroyed a historic Fairhaven building and killed a beloved business owner and father.

The Terminal Building that housed Harris Avenue Cafe, the Old Independent Coffeehouse and several offices caught fire in the late hours of Dec. 16, 2023.

39-year-old Nathaniel Breaux, who was the owner of the cafe and the Old Indy, died in the fire after staying late to clean an earlier party for recent WWU grads.

A well-known member of the Bellingham community, Breaux’s family began a GoFundMe for his young daughter that surpassed its goal. There is also a push to create a memorial on Galbraith Mountain for the avid mountain biker.

Old Indy used to be named Tony’s Coffee for multiple decades before changing over in several years ago.

In an interview from last December, longtime Bellingham resident Chrispy Stift, who used to work at Tony’s Coffee, remembers how the coffeeshop and surrounding area used to be.

“[For] those of us who have been in town for a long time, Fairhaven was quite a Bohemian center for Whatcom County and Tony’s Coffeehouse was really ground control,” he said. “Some of our baristas [were] working barefoot. We had a manager for awhile [worked] with an infant on her back.”

The building was declared a total loss shortly after the fire and was demolished.

There is no word yet on what will become of the building’s lot, nor if Dirty Dan Harris Steakhouse that also suffered from smoke damage will reopen in the near future.

In April, the Bellingham Fire Department could not determine the cause of the fire and closed the case.