Submit Your Nomination to the 2014 Most Endangered Historic Properties List

Washington Trust Announces a Call for Nominations to the

2014 Most Endangered Historic Properties List

Here’s the November 19, 2013 news release from the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation:

Seattle, Washington: The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation is seeking nominations to its 2014 Most Endangered Historic Properties List. Nomination forms may be obtained through the Trust’s website at www.preservewa.org.

Washingtonians enjoy a diverse collection of historic and cultural resources found throughout the state. Historic buildings and sites significantly contribute to the heritage and vitality of Washington while enhancing the quality of life in small towns, large cities and across rural areas. Yet each day, these resources face a variety of challenges, including lack of funding, deferred maintenance, neglect, incompatible development, and demolition. Inclusion in the Most Endangered List is an important initial step in highlighting these threats and bringing attention to those historic resources most in need.

Historic properties selected for the Most Endangered list receive advocacy support and assistance from the Washington Trust. While the focus is to remove the immediate threat facing historic properties, raising awareness of preservation issues in general remains a programmatic goal. Through proactive partnering with local organizations and concerned citizens, the Washington Trust’s Most Endangered List program has resulted in many high profile success stories across Washington since its establishment in 1992.

Past case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of inclusion in our Most Endangered List. The Battelle/Talaris Campus in Seattle’s Laurelhurst neighborhood represents such an example. Redevelopment plans called for demolition of campus buildings and the associated historic landscape. Working with concerned neighbors and other advocacy groups, the campus and surrounding grounds recently received designation as a City of Seattle Landmark. The property owner, in turn, is interested in working with stakeholders on a preservation-minded redevelopment scenario. The Haller House, located in downtown Coupeville on Whidbey Island, provides another example. With the house on the market, concerned advocates feared a new owner would remove significant interior features from the 1866 house – a structure with direct ties to Civil War officer Colonel Granville Haller. The Washington Trust supported local efforts to contact the sellers, who in turn agreed to provide local advocates an opportunity to raise funds for acquisition of the site. The group, now acting officially under the auspices of Historic Whidbey, continues to work toward this goal.

Communities are encouraged to take action when the historic fabric of their neighborhoods, main streets and rural landscapes are threatened. Through our Most Endangered List, the Washington Trust offers support with preservation efforts aimed at resolving these preservation challenges.

Nominations to the Trust’s 2014 Most Endangered Historic Properties List are due on Monday, January 13, 2014. The 2014 List will be announced at the annual RevitalizeWA Preservation and Main Street Conference held in May as part of the Washington Trust’s Preservation Month programming.

Those interested in nominating a resource are strongly encouraged to contact Cathy Wickwire, Operations Manager with the Washington Trust, prior to submitting a nomination. Tel. 206-624-9449. E-mail: cwickwire@preservewa.org

For more information on the Most Endangered Historic Properties List, including a nomination form, please visit the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation website at www.preservewa.org/Nomination-Process.aspx.

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“This Place Matters” Event at Mukai Farm and Garden – June 1

Historic Mukai Farm and Garden on Vashon Island. View through fence. Photo by Jennifer Mortensen, courtesy of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.

Join the Friends of Mukai, 4Culture, Washington Trust for Historic Preservation and the Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association for a photo event to declare “This Place Matters.” The Mukai Farm and Garden, located on Vashon Island, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a designated King County Landmark.

The event takes place from 1 to 4 pm on Saturday, June 1, 2013. A mini street fair follows the photo event. Celebrate one of the most important Japanese American cultural resources in King County.

The Mukai Farm and Garden was recently included in the WA Trust’s Most Endangered Properties list.

For more details, download this flyer.

Washington Trust for Historic Preservation Announces 2013 Most Endangered Properties List

Battelle/Talaris campus / Photo: Marissa Natkin, copyright 2011

Endangered Property: Battelle/Talaris Campus – modernist landscape and buildings designed by Rich Haag Associates and NBBJ; built 1965-67 (Phase 1) and 1970-71 (Phase 2) / Photo: Marissa Natkin, copyright 2011

The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation announced its 2013 Most Endangered Historic Properties List on May 15 during the opening reception of its annual RevitalizeWA Conference in Vancouver, WA. The Trust released a video about this year’s list. Individual videos for each property will be released soon.

The following properties, nominated by concerned citizens and organizations throughout Washington, form the Trust’s Most Endangered Historic Properties List for 2013.

THIS YEAR’S LIST (details for each property are described on the WA Trust’s website):

Digester Building, Bellingham, Whatcom County

Haller House, Coupeville, Island County

St. Nicholas Church, Gig Harbor, Pierce County

Electric Building, Aberdeen, Grays Harbor County

Battelle/Talaris Campus, Seattle, King County

Colville Indian Agency, Chewelah, Stevens County

Mukai Farm & Garden, Vashon Island, King County

2013 Most Endangered Historic Properties – Call for Nominations

Art Deco style details on front facade of Harborview Hall, 2012 Most Endangered Historic Properties List / Photo: Stephen Day

Washington Trust Announces a Call for Nominations to the

2013 Most Endangered Historic Properties List

Seattle, Washington: The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation is seeking nominations to its 2013 Most Endangered Historic Properties List. Nomination forms may be obtained through the Trust’s website at www.preservewa.org.

Statewide, threats to historic resources include demolition, neglect, incompatible development and insensitive alterations. These challenges, along with many others, impact properties across Washington that significantly contribute to the heritage and vitality of our state while enhancing the quality of life in small towns, large cities and across rural areas. Inclusion in the Most Endangered List is an important initial step in advocacy campaigns intended to bring attention to significant historic resources.

Historic properties selected for the Most Endangered list receive support and technical assistance from the Washington Trust. While the focus is to remove the immediate threat facing historic properties, raising awareness of preservation issues in general remains a programmatic goal. Through proactive partnering with local organizations and concerned citizens, the Washington Trust’s Most Endangered List program has resulted in many high profile success stories across Washington since its establishment in 1992.

Numerous case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of inclusion in our Most Endangered List. Harborview Hall, located on the Harborview Medical Center Campus in Seattle, represents such an example. Last year, the Art Deco mid-rise faced demolition in order to clear space on the medical campus for a paved plaza. In partnership with local advocacy organizations, local government and elected officials, and neighborhood representatives, the Washington Trust supported a public process enabling interested parties to submit redevelopment scenarios for the structure. To date, officials are working with a developer on the feasibility of rehabilitating Harborview Hall and integrating it with the mission of the surrounding medical campus.

Communities are encouraged to take action when the historic fabric of their neighborhoods, main streets and rural landscapes are threatened. Through our Most Endangered List, the Washington Trust offers support with preservation efforts aimed at resolving these preservation challenges.

Nominations to the Trust’s 2013 Most Endangered Historic Properties List are due on Monday, January 28, 2013. The 2013 List will be announced at the RevitalizeWA conference to be held in Vancouver, WA on May 15-17 as part of the Washington Trust’s Preservation Month programming.

Those interested in nominating a resource are strongly encouraged to contact Chris Moore, Field Director with the Washington Trust, prior to submitting a nomination. For more information on the Most Endangered Historic Properties List, including a nomination form, please visit the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation website at www.preservewa.org/Nomination-Process.aspx.

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Washington Trust Announces Most Endangered Properties for 2012

Washington State Parks Historic Structures – Endangered. St Edward Seminary Building, St. Edward State Park, Kenmore, WA / Photo: Historic Seattle

The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation announced its 2012 Most Endangered Properties List on May 22 during the opening reception of its annual RevitalizeWA Conference in Chelan.

Here’s this year’s list (from a news release):

Headlining this year’s roster is a thematic listing including the Historic Resources of Washington’s State Park System. With over 600 historic buildings and structures, Washington State Parks is the single largest owner of historic buildings in the state. The inventory of historic buildings, structures, and sites under the jurisdiction of State Parks includes territorial forts, coastal military fortifications, lighthouses, artillery installments, CCC picnic shelters, a seminary, and numerous other historic resources listed in local registers of historic places, in the National Register, and as National Historic Landmark Districts.

Recent economic woes have made it increasingly challenging for the agency to sustain the needed level of maintenance at parks statewide, let alone address mounting capital needs. In the current biennium, the capital budget for buildings and structures is less than one-third of funding levels provided just a few years ago in the 2007-09 biennium. Moving forward, the State Parks operating budget will rely entirely on the success of the Discover Pass, a visitor fee-for-use program. To date, revenues from the Discover Pass have fallen short of projections. Without adequate funding for capital projects, mounting deferred maintenance could lead to more serious building deterioration in the near term. Park Rangers, who already do double duty in performing a variety of maintenance tasks on buildings, will be going to seasonal employment, leaving dozens of structures unattended for periods of time. To date, all State Parks remain open, but the ability to care for the incredibly important collection of historic resources under the state stewardship has diminished. (more…)

2012 Most Endangered Historic Properties – Call for Nominations

Curran House, University Place, WA. Source: University Place Historical Society

Washington Trust Announces a Call for Nominations to the 2012 Most Endangered Historic Properties List

Seattle, Washington: The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation is seeking nominations to its 2012 Most Endangered Historic Properties List. Nomination forms may be obtained through the Trust’s website.

Statewide, threats to historic resources include demolition, neglect, incompatible development and insensitive alterations. These challenges, along with many others, impact properties across Washington that significantly contribute to the heritage and vitality of our state while enhancing the quality of life in small towns, large cities and across rural areas. Inclusion in the Most Endangered List is an important initial step in advocacy campaigns intended to bring attention to significant historic resources.

Historic properties selected for the Most Endangered list receive support and technical assistance from the Washington Trust. While the focus is to remove the immediate threat a historic property is faced with, raising awareness of preservation issues in general remains a programmatic goal. Through proactive partnering with local organizations and concerned citizens, the Washington Trust’s Most Endangered List program has resulted in many high profile success stories across Washington since its establishment in 1992. (more…)

5 Historic Properties on Most Endangered List

Old City Hall, Tacoma / Photo: Lauren Perez

With Old City Hall as the backdrop, the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation announced is 2011 Most Endangered Properties List in Tacoma today. The five properties (two of the sites contain dozens of structures) represent a wide range of property types from the iconic architectural marvel, Old City Hall to the vernacular Green Mountain Lookout. The five Most Endangered Historic Properties in 2011 are:

Green Mountain Lookout – Glacier Peak National Wilderness Area, Snohomish County
McMillan Bridge – State Route 162, Pierce County
McNeil Island – Pierce County
Northern State Hospital – Sedro-Woolley, Skagit County
Old City Hall – Tacoma, Pierce County

For details on the significance of these properties and why they are endangered, go to the WA Trust’s website.

Washington Trust Announces 2011 List of Endangered Historic Resources

From a news released issued by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation:

Seattle, Washington: The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation is pleased to host a press event on Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. to announce its annual list of the state’s Most Endangered Historic Properties. The press event will be held at Fireman’s Park, located at the intersection of S 7^th Street and Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma.

Since initiating its Most Endangered Historic Properties List in 1992, the Washington Trust has identified over 100 historically significant resources experiencing a wide range of pressures. Inclusion in our annual list is intended to raise awareness of the challenges and opportunities facing historic resources across the state and to encourage collaboration with all stakeholders to develop preservation strategies. In numerous instances, Most Endangered status has worked to facilitate solutions that promote the historic significance of sites while retaining important resources as viable, functional components of our neighborhoods and communities. Five historic resources are highlighted in the 2011 List. (more…)

Call for Nominations to the Washington Trust’s 2011 Most Endangered Historic Properties List

From a press release issued by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation:

The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation is seeking nominations to its 2011 Most Endangered Historic Properties List. Nomination forms may be obtained through the Trust’s website.

With on-going threats to historic properties statewide such as demolition, neglect, incompatible development and insensitive alteration as well as many others situations that impact historic resources across Washington, the need to raise public awareness of the potential loss of these properties is critical. Historic resources of all types contribute to the heritage and vitality of our state, enhancing the quality of life in small towns, large cities and across rural areas. Inclusion in the Most Endangered List can be an important initial step in advocacy campaigns designed to bring attention to significant historic resources.

Properties selected for inclusion in the list will receive advocacy and technical assistance from the Trust in supporting efforts to remove any threats facing the historic resource while also working to raise awareness of preservation in general. Through proactive partnering with local organizations and concerned citizens, the Trust’s Most Endangered List program has resulted in many high profile success stories across Washington since its establishment in 1992.

(more…)

Alki Homestead: This Place Still Matters

New poster released. Want one? Contact the Log House Museum.

Sunday, January 16, 2011, marked the two-year anniversary of a fire that partially damaged the Fir Lodge/Alki Homestead building in West Seattle. Built in 1904, this designated Seattle landmark building has been vacant and closed since, deteriorating with each passing month. In February 2010, a Certificate of Approval (C of A) application for demolition of the Alki Homestead was filed with the City’s Historic Preservation Program. This was a few months after the applicant presented an informational briefing to the Architectural Review Committee of the Landmarks Preservation Board on November 13, 2009 at a public meeting (which was followed by a Board tour of the site in December 2009). The C of A application was incomplete–it’s up to the applicant to file a complete application in order for the process to move forward. The advocacy effort to save the Homestead stepped up in 2010, culminating in a photo event on July 4, when about 200 people came together in front of the Homestead building to declare,“This Place Matters.”

On this two-year anniversary of the fire, a four-organization coalition consisting of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, Historic Seattle, 4Culture, and Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, held a press conference at the Log House Museum to update the public about some developments since last July 4, where the coalition pronounced, “This Place Still Matters.” The goal of the advocacy effort is to see the landmark Alki Homestead protected, preserved and restored (according to accepted preservation design standards), no matter who the owner is. The organizations are resources for any owner. (more…)

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