PRESERVATION VOLUME 41 // ISSUE 2 News SEPTEMBER 2015 The Newsletter of Historic Seattle Washington Hall Phase Three Underway said, “This renovation is a lifelong dream becoming a real- ADVOCACY NEWS ity. We’ve all worked so hard for this, and now, a contin- Page 3 SINCE JULY OF THIS YEAR, Washington Hall has uation and rebirth of a legacy is amongst us. We can only been a busy hive of construction activity, with carpen- EVENTS hope our ancestors are looking down proudly.” Pages 4-5 ters, plumbers, electricians, and craftspeople working to Jocelyn Schmidt, Project Manager with Ron Wright restore the historic event and performance spaces. Phase & Associates, remembered her first encounter with the GUEST FEATURE: Three of Washington Hall’s rehabilitation is the culmi- DENNIS ANDERSEN building as a volunteer for last year’s Holden Family Pages 6-7 nation of several years of work to stabilize the building, Concert, a benefit for the restoration campaign. “I found reactivate it with community use, and raise the funds myself enamored with the imperfection and the ‘wa- needed to continue to restore the property. bi-sabi’ quality of the building. The flaking painted brick, Phase Three will be completed in 2016. Team mem- the worn plaster and wood finishes, the white-washed bers for this phase include Ron Wright & Associates/ walls, the simplicity of the structure – the building felt Programs supported in Architects, Rushing, Coughlin Porter Lundeen, and Lydig extremely genuine and raw. This same genuine sentiment part by: Construction. The $3.5 million project involves seismic was echoed in the Holden Family performances as they retrofit of the entire building, ADA compliance, a new shared their past and current memories . I was partic- fire sprinkler system, and buildout for performance and ularly moved by the performances of the young Holden operating space, including a catering kitchen and small Family members, and I realized how important it was to café. For the first time in its history, the Hall will be fully preserve this building for their ongoing creative expres- accessible with the addition of an elevator. sion and as a place for community gathering.” The full rehabilitation of Washington Hall is a $10 Historic Seattle staff and leadership look forward to million, multi-year, phased project. Historic Seattle pur- celebrating the reopening of the Hall next year. Council chased the Hall in 2009 with help from 4Culture, saving Member Marcia Wagoner said, “It has been a privilege to it from demolition. Phases One and Two involved stabili- participate with all of those who came together to bring zation, critical repairs, and upgrades that were needed to the historically rich Washington Hall back to life. A reno- make the building available for limited rental use. vated Washington Hall will be an important contributing The Hall is home to three organizations with a focus member to the community and a tribute to Historic Seat- on arts and social justice – Hidmo, 206 Zulu, and Voic- tle and the many partners who joined to make it possible.” es Rising – that have partnered with Historic Seattle in planning the building’s future. King Khazm of 206 Zulu Top: Washington Hall rehabilitation in progress Credit: Dana Phelan HISTORIC SEATTLE From Executive Director Kji Kelly dance performances in the Central District, art classes in Wallingford, school groups learning about Northwest HISTORIC SEATTLE WAS FOUNDED IN 1974 in re- history in Pioneer Square, and historic home research sponse to significant threats to Seattle’s historic fabric. in our library on First Hill. Historic Seattle space has We have not merely existed, but have been very success- been 100% occupied for the last ten years. ful for 41 years. We have strategically advocated for the preservation of historic buildings throughout Seattle. We Old buildings are just old and should be torn down for have not been afraid to take calculated risks and invest something taller and new. hard-earned funds into deserving projects and initia- Our old buildings are not only physical reminders of tives. This has resulted in a thriving real estate portfolio the labor of previous generations, but currently house highlighting that preservation and economic viability are that which is unique and special to the current genera- synonymous. Historic Seattle has been dedicated to the tion of Seattleites. exhaustive research, planning, and organization neces- Continue to tear down old buildings and Seattle will not sary to produce extraordinarily rich education programs. be Seattle as you knew it then or know it now. Seattle will Kji Kelly This work has only occurred through the support of become anonymous, without its historic compass. We will like-minded individuals with a strong collective spirit, ap- live in a city that will cease to be authentic and will lose preciation for history, and respect for authenticity. Thank its uniquely earned patina. Thank you for the continued you for being on our team. support. It is greatly needed and appreciated. We ask for your continued concern, dedication, energy, generosity, creativity, activism, and curiosity, as we all question the misguided eagerness to demolish buildings Corporate Member Profiles that give Seattle its unique character. Historic buildings, WE’RE PLEASED TO WELCOME two new corporate entire neighborhoods for that matter, have been or will members of Historic Seattle, profiled below. be demolished for a variety of questionable reasons. Historic Seattle is uniquely positioned to provide logical Ron Wright & Associates/Architects, P.S. and experience-based counter arguments to those who seek to radically change Seattle’s built environment in the Ron Wright & Associates/Architects was established in name of sustainability, energy efficiency, affordability, 1994. The firm has focused on a combination of private and density. and public work, including commercial structures and renovations, historic preservation, mixed-use develop- Old buildings are not economically sustainable. ments, housing for special needs populations, and proj- Historic Seattle has saved over 40 buildings in 41 ects for institutions and non-profit organizations. After years, has eight properties within our portfolio, and we nearly twenty years and over 600 successfully completed have a $2.5 million annual budget. How many for-profit projects, the firm has established a strong reputation for developers in Seattle have been successful for 41 years? consistently providing appropriate and unique solutions Old buildings are not energy efficient. for difficult projects. How is it more energy efficient to tear down a build- Ron Wright & Associates/Architects is part of the team ing and replace it with something new? A holistic view responsible for Phase Three of Washington Hall’s rehabil- would take an old building’s embodied energy into itation. consideration. Old buildings don’t provide enough affordable hous- Heritage Bank ing and are not close to transit. Established in 1927, Heritage Bank serves the Pacific Historic Seattle currently provides 47 low-income Northwest as a full-service community bank. Heritage (30-80% area median income) units throughout the Bank offers a complete array of business and personal city, providing housing to a wide array of diverse banking products designed with customers and their people, next to transit and in highly desired locations financial goals in mind. With over eighty-five years of totaling 35,000 square feet in Wallingford, Little Sai- strength, service and community focus, they know the gon, First Hill, and Capitol Hill. importance of a lasting commitment. Heritage Bank has Old buildings don’t provide enough flexible space for branches from Portland, Oregon, to Bellingham, Washing- today’s businesses. ton, with a Downtown Seattle Office located at 1420 5th Historic Seattle provides a total of 139,000 square feet Avenue. leased by 36 locally owned and operated non-profit Heritage Bank is proud to be a supporter of Historic organizations and for-profit tenants. Our old buildings Seattle and applauds Historic Seattle’s record of achieve- host a rich and diverse array of community-based ment in preserving historic properties important to Seat- 2 services and experiences including experimental tle’s heritage. PRESERVATION NEWS ADVOCACY ADVOCACY “I ♥ (Heart) This Place” InterUrban Series HISTORIC SEATTLE HAS PARTNERED with 4Culture’s HISTORIC SEATTLE IS LAUNCHING a new event se- Equity in Preservation task force (a.k.a. “Beyond Integ- ries that engages broad audiences in conversations about rity”) to create an interactive installation that engages achieving more livable communities through preserva- ordinary people in talking about why places matter. The tion. InterUrban provides informal, advocacy-focused, project was inspired by the “Before I die…” global public issues-based event opportunities presented in a variety art project started by New Orleans artist Candy Chang of formats from small group discussions and happy hour (beforeidie.cc/site/), and consists of two mobile chalk- gatherings to behind-the-scenes tours and social media boards with the fill-in-the blank sentence “I ♥ (heart) engagement. this place because __________” repeated multiple times. The series will connect historic preservation to urban 4Culture is the sponsoring organization. planning and policy discussions impacting our region The installation will be on display on Saturday, Septem- such as affordability, equitable development, social jus- ber 12th and Sunday, September 13th in Pioneer Square’s tice, sustainability, and neighborhood density. Our intent Occidental Park, where we will be participating in the is to build collaborative partnerships that broaden our Seattle Design Festival and bringing the conversation to impact and inform about the opportunities and challeng- the streets by asking passersby to complete the sentence. es that we’re facing as we look to our future. This year, the Seattle Design Festival explores the theme Events will be posted on our website, Facebook page, Design for Equity, challenging us to question our biases and monthly e-news.