Whimsical and full of magic, the clock tower overlooking downtown Ferndale is not publicly owned. Rather, it is a decades-long labor of love by Polish immigrants Margaret and Artur “Art” Rojsza.
Buried in the three-story structure that seems as if it would be at home in a Studio Ghibli film is the original 1925 craftsman home. The porch of the once-modest house ultimately was transformed into the clock tower.
The Rojszas, both veterans of the construction industry, have designed and slowly pieced together the structure themselves.
“I’m just a creator of the things she dreams about,” Art said in a 2011 YouTube video.
The Rojszas purchased the home in 2002 and started remodeling it in 2005. However, the project became entangled in red tape, resulting in years of legal battles with the City of Ferndale.
Ultimately, the court ruled against the Rojszas, fining them $25,000 in penalties and $10,805 in attorney’s fees for the city. In 2014, the city settled three lawsuits filed by Art Rojsza for allegedly harassing him during the process, reported The Bellingham Herald in 2018.
“The journey of life is ongoing, and so is the house,” Art said in a 2018 YouTube video.
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Isaac Stone Simonelli is CDN’s enterprise/investigations reporter; reach him at isaacsimonelli@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 127.
