Kenmore History Uncovered

• January 26, 2011
• No Comment
• Cultural Resources

The City of Kenmore is working with the King County Historic Preservation Program to conduct a cultural resources survey.  Here’s a press release issued by the City and the King County Historic Preservation Program about the project:

Church designed by renowned Northwest architect Roland Terry, post-war houses with bomb and fallout shelters, these and more are among the historic properties to be photographed and documented in survey starting this month.

The City of Kenmore is conducting a survey of historic buildings (built prior to 1976) in January and February 2011.  King County’s Historic Preservation Program staff is conducting the survey; the City of Kenmore and King County have an interlocal agreement which authorizes the county to provide preservation services.  The project is funded by a National Park Service Grant administered by the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation.  Approximately 100 properties will be documented. The purpose of the project is to provide a framework to guide future planning and preservation efforts in Kenmore.  There are no regulatory implications for property owners; it is a documentation effort only.

This project updates and expands upon previous surveys of the area. Kenmore’s previously surveyed architectural heritage includes Saint Edwards Seminary and the Thomsen Estate. Saint Edwards Seminary is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Thomsen Estate is designated as a City of Kenmore Local Landmark.

The survey of 2011 is focusing on mid-20th century residential architecture and looking closely at houses located in areas of Kenmore developed in that era, including Uplake Terrace. Along with the Uplake Terrace properties, the scope of the survey includes taking a look at 12 houses identified through the State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation’s “Nifty From the Last 50” initiative that studied post-WWII architecture.  Seven properties identified in the Kenmore Heritage Society publication Kenmore by the Lake: A Community History will also be documented.

Roland Terry

Project coordinators were excited to discover during initial preparations for the survey that the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer built in 1964 at 6211 NE 182nd St was designed by Roland Terry, a renowned Northwest architect known for, among other things, his design of the Canlis Restaurant in Seattle. The church is listed among Terry’s accomplishments in Jeffrey Karl Ochsner’s Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects.

Bomb and Fallout Shelters

Bomb and fallout shelters are a unique feature of mid-twentieth century residential architecture. According to newspaper accounts from the 1950s and 60s, two houses in the Uplake Terrace neighborhood were built with protection from nuclear attack.  In 1955, Dick Bjorklund designed,  a house that boasted a concrete bomb shelter with metal doors. In 1960, Seth McCallen Fulcher designed a house that had a fallout shelter.

Contacts

People who are interested in providing information for the project or who have questions may contact Lee O’Connor, project coordinator, or Julie Koler, King County Preservation Officer.

Lee O’Connor, Cultural Resources Specialist
King County Historic Preservation Program
(206) 296-7409
[email protected]

Julie Koler, Preservation Officer
King County Historic Preservation Program
206-296-8689
[email protected]

Nancy K. Ousley, Kenmore Assistant City Manager
(425) 398-8900 x6171
[email protected]