Vets Restore Underway for 2014

Historic Seattle is a proud partner with 4Culture and the King County Veterans Program in Vets Restore. Vets Restore offers training in preservation carpentry, paid internships, and job placement assistance to military veterans who are interested in entering the preservation trades.

Vets Restore participants receiving training at Washington Hall, Seattle / Photo credit: Brandee Beau Photography © 2014

The Vets Restore program serves the dual purpose of reintegrating veterans into the civilian workforce, while training dedicated, skilled tradespeople to bring new life to historic places. Last year, the inaugural Vets Restore class restored windows and completed numerous carpentry projects at Historic Seattle’s current rehabilitation project, Washington Hall.

In Vets Restore’s second year, five veterans are engaged in a seven-week, hands-on training session at the Hall. The first three weeks, led by Historic Seattle Council Member Rick Sever, cover skill development in preservation carpentry and provide an overview of the relationship between building preservation and sustainability. The following four weeks, Vets Restore participants will focus on window restoration, under the tutelage of specialists from Bear Wood Windows of Tacoma.  They’ll restore Washington Hall’s historic wood windows to be fully operable and to improve their energy performance.

When the veterans’ training concludes, they will begin paid internships with Vets Restore’s industry partners: Bear Wood Windows, J.A.S. Design-Build, Rafn Company, Susan Black & Associates, and Abacus Fine Carpentry LLC.