Foster’s idea consists of a whole quarter-block of subterranean storesWalking the streets beneath the block of 10th Street and Marine Drive, Michael Foster is living the dream he has entertained for years.

“Everyone thought I was crazy,” he says, pacing the corridor he calls Jane Barnes Alley.

Behind him is Estrella, a boutique featuring up-and-coming clothing and accessory designers. To his left is The Cellar on 10th, a wine shop that operates European style – completely underground. A facade of the 19th-century Adair School, now replaced by John Jacob Astor Elementary, will festoon the entrance on Marine which leads down the stairs to a clearing Foster has named “Waldorf Square.”

Developer Michael Foster first dreamed of an Astoria Underground years ago, a project he now hopes will be completed by the end of 2004.

LORI ASSA – The Daily Astorian”I wanted to show what Astoria looked like in 1890,” Foster says. A history

major as an undergraduate at Willamette

University and later as a graduate at University of Oregon, Foster wanted to recreate what people that year would have seen had they been walking down Astoria’s streets.

And he’s doing it all – below Astoria’s streets.

Foster owns this corner of the block, including a basement that runs half a block north along 10th and half a block east along Marine. For the last year he has been developing the basement into a series of shops and staircases connected by four subterranean streets. The project, which he calls “Astoria Underground,” will feature facades of buildings of the era, three staircases, an elevator, skylights on the street-level floor and room for up to nine stores between both levels.

Foster hopes it will be complete by the end of 2004.

Arts tooIn addition to the two businesses already in operation, Astoria Visual Arts will open in a street-level slot connected to the underground. This space will be used as a public meeting venue and present local and regional art and lectures. AVA will hold its first exhibit 7 p.m. Saturday.

Estrella is a boutique featuring designer clothing, jewelry and even Astoria Column T-shirts. Pictured is co-owner Heather Jones.

LORI ASSA – The Daily AstorianConstruction continues throughout the development. Foster pointed out the store to be completed last. It lies upstairs, guarded by what will be a facade of a hotel building. This room has three skylights and lies on Foster’s John Jacob Astor Alley, down a little way from Astoria Visual Arts.

Right now, Foster won’t divulge any information about what the store will be.

“That’s the mystery,” he said.

An underground shopping community is unique to Astoria. From time to time there have been stores on the basement level accessible from the sidewalk, said John Goodenberger, historic buildings consultant. But there was “never really a community,” he said.

“It was always extra space,” Goodenberger said. “We did raise the level of our town by about four feet in 1915 … And then in 1922 everything burned.”

Underground passageways were formed as a byproduct of chair-wall construction, a support structure providing a concrete tunnel for water and gas lines. These passages sometimes hid illegal immigrants or opium, Goodenberger said.

Foster’s idea consists of a whole quarter-block of subterranean stores that can be enjoyed – even when Pacific Northwest weather is at its finest.

“This is designed so if it’s raining out, you can still come in here,” he said.

European flavorThe Cellar on 10th opened 21/2 months ago. Owner Mike Wallis had seen Foster’s development in progress and thought it was the perfect location for a wine cellar. It wasn’t daunting to open a business underground, he said, because he was looking to model his store after wine shops In Europe.

LORI ASSA – The Daily Astorian

At The Cellar on 10th, Debbie Taylor, left, an Astoria resident, and manager and wine steward Kerry Grasee-Rodgers keep cool in the shops underground location Thursday afternoon. “They’re all underground. They’re all in a cellar where it’s really cool,” Wallis said.

And so far, business is doing well.

“The locals have found us, I think,” Wallis said. The cellar’s wine education classes are selling out, and Wallis said downtown underground traffic is picking up.

“It seems like business gets better every week,” said Kerry Grasee-Rodgers, the cellar’s wine steward.

Wallis is looking forward to more construction being completed to give the underground some color. Customers sometimes hesitate if things look unfinished, he said. Also, he would like a gourmet foods shop to move in.

Foster agrees.

“I’d love for a nice specialty cheese and meat shop to come in. Or a nice delicatessen or a fish shop,” he said. Reception SetAstoria Visual Arts will hold a reception at its new location at 160 10th Street from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday. The public is invited to see the works of artists who have previously showed at AVA.

AVA will sponsor monthly shows and will offer lectures and workshops. They are also making their space available as a venue for public meetings.

To schedule a meeting at AVA or for more information, call 325-4589. “There’s all kinds of things that could come in (and) add to the ambiance.”

Stephanie Davenport moved her boutique, Estrella, into a shop across from the cellar on in June. She said business has gradually gotten better as more customers have started to find their way down.

“People are just intrigued,” she said.

Davenport would like to see what she calls “hang-out” stores.

“I think a bead store would be really cool,” she said, as well as a “really swanky book store.” And like Wallis and Foster, she said she would love to see a fine deli.

Davenport said she likes Foster’s historical theme.

“I do think he’s got a really interesting concept. I think it’s gonna be a huge draw,” she said.

Through the hard work, Foster sometimes doubts himself.

“There are times when you go home and think, ‘Have I made a mistake?'” he said. But in the end, he said he realizes he is doing what he has wanted to do for years – improving one part of Astoria so that everyone can enjoy it.

“It’s going to be quite pretty when it’s done,” he said.