At first glance, the crumbling old building nestled along the side of the highway in San de Fuca may not seem like much.

But Steve Eelkema sees potential in the historic structure and a future place to call home.

Eelkema, who with wife Mary Beth own the Fisher Store building as well as the Penn Cove Pottery building, received the largest Ebey’s Forever Grant this year.

The $12,500 grant will be used to fix and stabilize the building’s foundation as the first step in turning it into a one-bedroom, 1,200- square-foot house.

“The Fisher Store was the first general store and post office in San de Fuca and is the last remaining historic commercial building there,” said Sarah Steen, preservation coordinator for Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve. It is also a building that Steen said she’s had her eye on for awhile.

The building was constructed in 1903 by L.P. Byrne, a developer who built many other buildings in the Oak Harbor area.

Chris and Sibbie Fisher purchased the building a year or so after it was built, according to historic records, and ran a store and post office.

It’s changed hands, appearance and use many times over the years, and Steen said the last known use of the building was as a workshop in 1983.

The building has two facades; the one facing the water was the original storefront. A second facade was added to the back of the building around 1941 when the Penn Cove Pottery building was constructed right next to it and the highway was built.

Eelkema said his plans include restoring the building closer to its original appearance.

He will bring back the historic integrity of the building by opening up and rebuilding the front deck, and reinstalling windows to face the waterfront.

The project is considered a mix of renovation and restoration.

Since purchasing the buildings in 2001, Eelkema said he’s been thinking about what to do with the Fisher Store.

He explored options like turning it into a second business, but infrastructure and highway restrictions limited his options.

“There’s not a lot of infrastructure in place,” he said. “It didn’t have a viable septic system.”

His plans then led him toward making the location a new home. He’s been thinking about it for eight or nine years.

“It’s just a beautiful place to work and live,” Eelkema said.

The couple has invested in the project by installing a new septic system that will cover both buildings. Now the second order of business is really starting from the ground up.

“I’ve looked at it and thought about starting it, but you need a foundation to start,” Eelkema said.

The building isn’t secure at this point; the exposed side has areas rotting away.

The foundation project presents some major challenges, Steen said. One side is very rotten and she’s not entirely sure what will be found underneath.

Support beams with concrete footers will be constructed and hopefully, Steen said, salvaged beams from a historic building in Everett can be utilized.

Forever Grants are all matching grants, meaning building owners must match the grant dollar for dollar. Matches can be made through sweat equity at $22 an hour.

Eelkema said he does plan on doing some of the work himself as part of his match.

The Fisher Store was one of 11 grants, totalling $58,000, awarded this year. Other grants support projects to replace roofs on both the 1886 Clapp House and the 1866 Haller House.

“The Haller House and the Clapp House were the advisory committee’s top choices, along with the Fisher Store,” Steen said. “Both are notable buildings in Coupeville, and new cedar shingle roofs will show well.”

Other funded projects include window and siding restoration for historic outbuildings, barns and houses.

To date, more than $370,000 in privately raised funds has been allocated to 54 separate preservation projects through the Ebey’s Forever Grant Program, stimulating nearly $1 million in direct local investment in the historic landscape.

Grants do come with other stipulations, including a 10-year maintenance agreement.

Steen said, for example,  the Haller House may change owners in the near future, and whoever buys that house will be required to maintain the roof to the reserve’s standards for up to those 10 years or be forced to pay the grant back.

Of all the 54 funded grant projects not a single one has reneged, Steen said.