City of Spokane Mid-20th Century Modern Context Statement and Inventory Proposal Prepared by: Archaeological and Historical Services (AHS) Eastern Washington University (EWU) TECHNICAL AND MANAGEMENT PROPOSAL: 1. PROJECT APPROACH/METHODOLOGY: To meet the objective of helping the City-County Spokane Historic Preservation Office (HPO) and community to... tell the story of Modern Spokane and both promote and protect those “most vulnerable” of resources...AHS personnel will prepare a Mid-20th Century Modern historic preservation context statement which will guide the sample survey and inventory of at least 50 modern structures in the City of Spokane. Project aims, methods, and deliverables content and schedule are as specified in the Request for Proposal (HPO 2016). The need for Mid-20th Century Modern context statement development and structure inventory is especially important as a means of educating the community of Spokane’s rich modern architectural history reflected in both existing structures and prominent architects and proponents of the movement. To paraphrase Baba Dioum,-In the end we will preserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught. The goal of preserving Spokane’s modern structures starts with public awareness and AHS’ approach to context statement development, exemplary structure sample inventory, and public outreach message and materials development is designed to meet that goal. AHS’ approach is one of close collaboration with the HPO, Spokane Landmarks Commission, and local experts in selecting the sample of structures for inventory. AHS personnel will take full advantage of the voluminous Mid-20th Century Modern paper and digital documents and resources for context statement, press release and social media content development, and structure significance evaluation. A partial list of these resources: • The Spokane Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (Sargent) • Spokane Modernism - Spokane at the Leading Edge (Houser) • Spokane Architects of the 1950s & 1960s (DAHP) • Spokane Post WWII Building List (aka Spokane Mid-Century Modern Architecture List) (DAHP) • Spokane Riverfront Park Historic Property Inventory of Pre-1975 Historical Resources (Montgomery, Price and Wheatley) • Nifty From the Last 50 Initiative (Houser) • Evaluating Resources that Have Achieved Significance within the Past 50 Years (NPS) • A Model for Identifying & Evaluating the Historic Significance of Post WWII Housing – National Cooperative Highway Research Program (TRB) Archaeological and Historical Services, Eastern Washington University 1 • Mid-Century Modern Architecture in WA State Guide (Houser) • Mid-Century Storefronts: The Main Street of Tomorrow: 1930-1970 (Houser) • Mid-20th Century Storefronts – Components Guide (Dyson) • Documents housed at the Museum of Arts and Culture, the Spokane Library Northwest Room, the John F. Kennedy Library archives at EWU, and the AHS library • DOCOMOMO-WeWa: Embracing Northwest Modernism http://www.docomomo-wewa.org/index.php AHS’ approach to the inventory includes visiting each property, recording its current appearance, photography, and completion of a Washington Historic Property Inventory database form. We will present project results at one or more public meetings and will assist HPO staff with public presentation material, press release, and social media and website content development. Architectural historian, Stephen Emerson will lead the project and be assisted by AHS professional staff. With 36 years’ experience successfully conducting cultural resources and historic preservation projects, our professional staff is intimately familiar with, and follows, Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation reporting guidelines in deliverable preparation. As detailed under optional Task 5 below, AHS along with EWU Department of Geography faculty and students will prepare an interactive map of project results. Methodological detail for completing project tasks is presented under the WORK PLAN. 2. WORK PLAN: AHS will complete all five tasks as described in the RFP. Task 1: Working in conjunction with the HPO, local experts in the mid-century modern movement in Spokane, and through their own research, identify 50 of the most iconic/interesting/rare architectural resources from the Mid‐20th Century modern movement (based on budget, scope and resources) using the guidelines established by the National Park Service in their “Guidelines for Local Surveys: A Basis for Preservation Planning.” This includes both residential and commercial properties – all within the boundaries of the City of Spokane. Following an initial meeting with HPO staff, as a first step in structure inventory sample selection, AHS will solicit a list of structures from all stakeholders (e.g., HPO staff, Spokane Historic Landmarks, local experts). We will provide the interested parties a copy of DAHP’s Spokane Post WWII Building List (aka Spokane Mid-Century Modern Architecture List) Excel spreadsheet as an aid to sample structure selection. AHS will review the stakeholder lists and then meet with all interested parties to arrive at a final structure list for inventory. To prepare reconnaissance level plus Washington Information System for Architectural and Archaeological Records Data (WISAARD) Historic Property Inventory (HPI) forms, AHS personnel will visit each structure, take multiple digital SLR photographs in both RAW and jpeg formats, and record the property’s current appearance especially noting alterations and additions. Archaeological and Historical Services, Eastern Washington University 2 We propose conducting the field inventory work fall 2016 prior to winter onset and persistent snow cover. Following fieldwork, the Mid-20th Century Spokane context statement will be drafted, in turn facilitating WISAARD Historic Inventory Form Statement of Significance completion. Report preparation will follow inventory field work with draft and final documents submitted according to the RFP Schedule. Task 2: Create a detailed historic context that will be part of an overall survey report. The context statement will describe Spokane’s mid‐century modernist buildings, structures and objects; geographical area, and chronological period; define where the resources fit within the history of the community; and evaluate and report associations with significant person(s), trends, or events in the development of the City. The survey report will follow the guidelines set up in the “Washington State Standards for Cultural Resources Reporting 2015” document. The survey report is expected to include the following: 1. Title page 2. Introduction 3. Research Design a. Objectives b. Survey Methodology c. Expectations d. Maps e. Integration with the Planning Process 4. Historical Overview/Context Statement a. Historical development b. Survey Results c. Development Trends 5. Recommendations 6. Appendix a. Bibliography b. Maps c. Inventory forms AHS will begin context statement development with a review of how the concepts giving rise to Mid-Century Modern architecture evolved on a global and national level. This will introduce the various schools of thought and design, such as Art Deco, Art Moderne, the Bauhous School, and the International Style, leading to the explosion in Mid-Century Modern experimentation following the end of WWII. The subsequent expanding economy and the return of soldiers following the war led to a housing boom across the United States, along with a forward-seeking attitude and openness to new ideas. This phenomenon was reflected in Spokane by the arrival of young architects with intentions to throw off the old inhibitions and playfully explore startling new concepts of architectural design. To these individuals, it was indeed a brave new world. For whatever reason, Spokane was blessed with an impressive number of these creators of that world. Among them were Royal McClure, Thomas Adkison, Donald Murray, Archaeological and Historical Services, Eastern Washington University 3 Warren Heylman, John Culler, Carroll Martell, Kenneth Norrie, Bruce Walker, John McGough, Moritz Kundig, and Kenneth Brooks. Such was the gathering of talent that Spokane experienced during the 1950s. The multi-faceted ideas of these individuals who shared a willingness to experiment and push boundaries led to an explosion of new Styles with strange sounding names including Miesian, Brutalism, New Formalism, Curtain Wall, and Slick Skin. The context statement will discuss these and describe the architectural components and methods defining each one. The intention is to describe the variety of characteristics in such a way that they can be more easily grasped and appreciated by the public in order to better promote and protect these often misunderstood structures. Another aim of the context statement will be to examine the careers and conceptual development of individual architects and firms that shaped the local development of Mid- Century Architecture, a phenomenon that pushed Spokane forward as the tip of the spear, surpassing many so-called more progressive cities in the Pacific Northwest such as Seattle and Portland. Despite inviting little fanfare at the time, Spokane architects built and designed a body of work that in hindsight is only now being recognized for the astounding triumph that it was. Task 3: At least one public meeting will be held to share survey findings with the public. AHS will coordinate with HPO staff to schedule and develop content for one or more public meetings.