Three and a half years ago Mike and Chris Welty got a startling
call one Thursday evening. The historic building that had housed
their law offices for 30 years had been set on fire, but quickly
put out by the Healdsburg Fire Department. The damage had been
minimal.
The fire on North Street came just one night after a law office
on Healdsburg Avenue had been set on fire, causing about $250,000
in damage.
“It was set on the ground level and was put out quickly,” Mike
Welty said last week in an interview while standing in the newly
remodeled offices directly above the initial point where the fire
had been set in February of 2006.
Later that week in 2006, on Sunday, the Weltys got a second call
— one they never would have expected.
The building had been set on fire again, this time causing
massive fire, smoke and water damage to the hundred-year-old
building. By that time, city officials knew they were dealing with
an arsonist, though they didn’t know his motive.
Just a few days later, Henry Scholten, widely known among
residents for his unusual antics, was arrested on four counts of
arson.
“He didn’t know us, it wasn’t personal,” Welty said of Scholten.
And in the past three years, the Weltys haven’t looked back, but
have focused on their new task at hand.
Instead, they moved forward, Welty working out of law offices in
Santa Rosa, while initiating the long process of historic building
restoration, from the ground up.
“Everything was destroyed,” Welty said. “It took a long time to
do it right. We wanted to restore it correctly.”
And an eye was on detail, from door hinges to crown molding to
antique stained glass windows, the remodeled offices “stay true to
the building,” Welty said.
With a gutted building, the Weltys began reconstruction from
square one, but didn’t necessarily start from scratch.
“The redwood (frame) was in such good shape, it confirmed that
we wanted to keep to the era, and we spared no expense,” Mike Welty
said.
Both notably proud of the renovation efforts, Chris paused to
reflect on that day three years ago, when she could stand in the
hallway, look up, and see the sky through the rafters of the
roof.
“I remember walking through here. Everything was so burned, it
looked so awful. It was the lowest moment for me,” she said.
“It was really sad,” Mike added, “but it’s back.”
Welty, who has been practicing law for 36 years, sees this time
as not only a new beginning for the offices, but also for his
practice, which has transitioned to Welty & Welty with the
addition of his son, Matt, who left Washington, D.C. and joined the
business a few months ago.
Matt was born and raised in Healdsburg and is proud to be among
a group of second generation residents who have returned to
Healdsburg to go into business with their parents.
“At community events, I’ll see my second generation classmates
who have injected a new sense of energy into the community,” Matt
Welty said. “We need to thank our parents for the creation of a
community that is such an attractive place to raise a family. It
took vision and we need to give credit to the generation we are
succeeding.”
With the remodel complete, the Weltys are opening all of the
offices at 141 North Street up to the community to come and take a
look at what they have done wit the historic building.
An open house will be held on Thursday, Nov. 19 from 3 to 7 p.m.
All of the businesses in the building will be participating
including Ziegler Civil Engineering, Edward Jones and Meibeyer Law
Group.
