Washington Trust for Historic Preservation

Most Endangered Places

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Howard S. Wright House

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2006

Location: Everett, Snohomish County

Located in Everett’s Grand District, the Howard S. Wright House has been described as a fine example of the Classic Box. Howard S. Wright, founder of the Howard Wright construction company noted in the Puget Sound region and beyond as the main builder for the Seattle World’s Fair buildings, including the Space Needle, built the house in 1905.

By 1961, the house had been divided into eight apartments. A fire destroyed the roof in 2002, and fighting the fire caused water damage throughout. It was nominated in 2006 and the next year, Bill Belshaw, a local resident and board member with Historic Everett, purchased the house and rolled up his sleeves. Belshaw completely restored and updated the house, turning it into five condominiums. The house was listed on the Everett Register of Historic Places in November of 2012.

“Once neglected, historic Everett house shines again” – HeraldNet, Novemebr 20, 2012

Most Endangered Places

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Downtown Mount Vernon

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2007

Location: Mount Vernon, Skagit County

Located in the heart of Skagit Valley, Mount Vernon is a charming community with a rich collection of historic resources. These resources include a downtown that boasts an intact streetscape of historic commercial buildings and fraternal orders providing the city with a truly unique sense of place. This downtown core offers the National Register-listed Lincoln Theater, a historic square symbolic of the city’s origins featuring intact examples of false-front architecture, and commercial buildings decorated with ornate terra cotta.

Unfortunately, Mount Vernon had some difficult choices to make to insure that predicted 100-year flood levels would not threaten its future. To address future floods, the city developed a master plan which called for the removal of some historic resources and in 2007, the Washington Trust for placed the core downtown area on its Most Endangered Places list. As part of its compliance with state and federal laws, the city undertook a survey of downtown resources and entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation in 2008. While some resources were lost in the construction effort, much of the core historic streetscape is intact and thriving.

https://www.downtownmountvernon.org/

Most Endangered Places

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Teapot Dome Gas Station

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2007

Location: Yakima County

In 1922, illegal oil leases in Wyoming and Elk Hills, California resulted in the indictment of the Secretary of the Interior and left President Warren Harding’s administration tarnished by scandal. The scandal in turn prompted a Yakima County man, Jack Ainsworth, to handcraft a piece of roadside political commentary that remains standing today along Interstate 82 near Zillah. Fashioned after a teapot, the shingled kettle features a sheet metal handle and spout and served as a gas station for many decades since opening in 1922

Most Endangered Places

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Fowler House

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2007

Location: Port Townsend, Jefferson County

Port Townsend’s uptown residential district demonstrates much of the Victorian sensibility of the commercial district it overlooks. The Fowler House, however, predates much of the late nineteenth century construction and stands as a rare example of Civil War era building. Greek Revival in style, the circa 1858 residence was home to Captain Enoch S. Fowler who constructed his house in a manner familiar to him as a native of Maine.

The house fell into disrepair in the 2000s, prompting the listing as a Most Endangered Place. Finally, in 2020 the house was rescued, moderinzed, and put on the market.

Most Endangered Places

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Granary Building

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2008

Location: Bellingham, Whatcom County

The Granary Building stands as a key part of Whatcom County’s early chicken and egg cooperative movement. In the fall of 1915, a group of farmers formed an association that ultimately led to the organization of the Washington Cooperative Egg and Poultry Association. By 1920, Whatcom County’s chicken population exceeded every other county in the West except one in California. Today, the Granary Building creates a distinct silhouette in downtown Bellingham’s skyline and is architecturally notable as an agricultural building form co-existing within an urban/industrial working waterfront setting.

Through the 1930s and 1940s, the Bellingham waterfront saw major commercial activity and in 1963 one of the world’s largest paper companies, Georgia-Pacific, took over the pulp and tissue mills on the Whatcom Waterway. In its heyday, Georgia-Pacific’s Bellingham operation included the state’s largest ethanol distillery, a research lab and a chlorine plant. At one time, 1,200 local people were employed by Georgia-Pacific, but the industry slowly went into decline, finally closing its doors in the 2000s.

After the closure of the pulp mill, the Port of Bellingham purchased the site and began an extensive environmental cleanup. The City committed to long-term investment and agreed to build new streets and services to the site, dedicating land for public parks, waterfront trails and ecological restoration. The Port and City have partnered to develop a Heritage Trail Concept which includes recommendations on how to showcase historic icons remaining from Georgia-Pacific’s pulp and tissue mill. In 2013, the Port entered into an agreement with Harcourt Bellingham LLC. to develop the Downtown Waterfront area and as of 2019, completed projects include the restoration of the historic Granary Building and Waypoint Park.

The Granary is now a six-storey over basement retail & office building, renovated and modernized after having been abandoned for years. Conversion of the historic grain elevator, which began in 2015, was the first building to be renovated by Harcourt Developments.

http://www.bellinghamdowntownwaterfront.com/granary-building

Most Endangered Places

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Bettinger House

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2008

Location: Snohomish County

William & Ina Bettinger built this Queen Anne-style house in 1917. As one of the older houses in the downtown core of Edmonds, the structure is identifiable for typical Queen Anne details such as multiple gables, a wraparound porch, fish-scale shingles, and decorative woodwork. The house is considered eligible for the local register.

Most Endangered Places

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Kapus Farmstead

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2008

Location: Clark County

Settled in the 1880s, the Kapus Farm evokes the feeling of an early-twentieth century farmstead, and is unique as one of the few relatively intact complexes of farm buildings remaining in Clark County. The farm retains the 1888 farmhouse, but most of the structures on site date from circa 1929 when a live-in carpenter was employed to modernize the farm. During this time, he remodeled the farmhouse and constructed a water tower, garage, and outhouse, all of which remain at the site. The water tower is especially unique being a four-story, wood-frame structure with a gabled roof still housing the original 2,500-gallon wooden water tank

Most Endangered Places

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Washington Hall

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2008

Location: King County

Built in 1908 by the Danish Brotherhood, Washington Hall first served as a settlement house and a fraternal hall, connecting Danish immigrants with tools for starting anew in America and keeping them linked to their social and artistic heritage. From the 1910s, the hall also hosted other populations in Seattle’s Central District, including African American, Jewish, Filipino, Japanese, Croatian, Korean, and Ethiopian. Since 1973, it has served as the headquarters for the Sons of Haiti, an African-American Masonic lodge. Over the years, entertainers and artists such as Duke Ellington, Billie Holliday, and Jimi Hendrix have appeared at Washington Hall. The building also has architectural significance as the only known fraternal hall designed by prolific Seattle architect Victor Voorhees.

Most Endangered Places

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Historical Commercial Fishing Net Sheds

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2008

Location: Pierce County

Next to the fishing vessels themselves, net sheds represent the most important architectural by-product of the commercial fishing industry for Gig Harbor. Croatian immigrants began to settle in the area around 1900, establishing Millville, one of the harbor’s first towns, along the western shore. With commercial fishing as the predominant industry, easy access to land for loading and unloading gear was essential. Modest docks built on wood piles developed along the waterfront with, in many cases, the family home constructed behind these net sheds. In addition to workplaces, these simple wood piers and covered structures served as gathering places for skippers, crews and their families.

Most Endangered Places

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Murray Morgan Bridge

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2008

Location: Pierce County

Dominating the Tacoma skyline when it was built in 1913, the Murray Morgan Bridge, known then as the 11^th Street Bridge, played a key role in the city’s urban development by linking downtown to the waterfront and the industrial tide flats. Designed by renowned bridge engineers Waddell and Harrington, the bridge is remarkable for the height of the deck, the overhead span designed for carrying a water pipe, and its construction on a grade. In addition, the bridge plays a prominent role in Tacoma’s social history, serving as the setting for gatherings and labor disputes, including a violent strike in 1916, just three years after completion. In 1997, the bridge was renamed after Murray Morgan, a noted Washington historian.

Most Endangered Places

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Point Hudson

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2003

Location: Port Townsend, Jefferson County

Located adjacent to what is now downtown Port Townsend, local Indian tribes used the Point Hudson area long before Captain Vancouver’s party came ashore in 1792. The site as it currently exists began in 1934 as a U.S. Quarantine Station. Today it’s a tourist attraction and a boaters’ safe haven. The site is home to the Wooden Boat Festival, restaurants, a moorage, small businesses, a bed and breakfast, and private residences. The Port of Port Townsend has owned the property since 1956 but has leased it to private management until last year. In 2003, Port officials approached the City of Port Townsend seeking demolition permits for all but three of the buildings on the site, citing prohibitive costs to bring the buildings up to code. The Port backed off on plans for demolition, and the City and local preservationists are working with the Port to seek alternatives for compatible new development and re-use of existing historic structures.

Read more about Point Hudson.

Most Endangered Places

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Jefferson County Courthouse and Tower

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2003

Location: Jefferson County

The Jefferson County Courthouse, built in 1892 on a bluff overlooking the town and visible to all, symbolized the city and county’s prosperity in the late 19th century heyday of shipping and logging. The massive Romanesque brick, sandstone, and terra cotta building is still being used for its original purpose. A thick coating of sealer was applied to the exterior masonry in the 1970s, but it is unreinforced and therefore unable to withstand a large earthquake. Of even greater concern than the courthouse is the clocktower, which due to its high, exposed location, is significantly overstressed by wind loads. Approximately $1.35 million in grants and appropriations have been raised for repair and maintenance of the tower and courthouse, but the estimated budget for strengthening the tower alone is $3 million. The urgency of the project remains.

Most Endangered Places

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Hyer Farm

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2003

Location: Sequim, Clallam County

The nationally listed Hyer farmhouse, barn, and outbuildings represent an intact and well-preserved slice of early 20th century rural architecture in Washington state.

The Hyer Farmstead near Sequim was placed on the Most Endangered Places list in 1994 because of demolition threats due to the re-routing and expansion of Highway 101. The truly stellar collection of early 20th century farm buildings, considered at the lime to be one of the best surviving rural properties on the Olympic Peninsula, included the farmhouse, barn, and water tower—all placed on the National Register in 1994.

The farm was purchased in 1997 by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) for the Highway 101 bypass and put up for sale with the condition that its historic character be preserved. For several years, Clallam County intended to buy the property but never signed the purchase agreement. In 2003, WSDOT put Hyer Farm up for public auction, with the historic restrictions in place. The bid opening on May 14th revealed that a local buyer was the successful bidder. The new owner then proceeded to work on farmhouse rehabilitation, seek funds for preservation of other buildings on the site, and work towards an overall agricultural use.

Most Endangered Places

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First United Methodist Church

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2003

Location: Seattle, King County

The 1907 Beaux Arts First United Methodist Church is the only historic church left standing in Seattle’s downtown commercial core. While eligible for national, state, and local landmark status, the church has successfully fought such designation at the local level.

There are times we simply fall in love with buildings and cannot help ourselves. Such was the case for Kevin Daniels and First United Methodist Church in Seattle. Looking to capitalize on valuable land prices, the congregation sought to sell their half block downtown, with the goal of constructing a new church elsewhere scaled to meet their needs. Advocates in turn sought local landmark status for the historic sanctuary to stave off demolition, but state Supreme Court rulings prevent such listing without owner consent.

Recognizing demolition as imminent, Kevin worked with local elected officials, congregation members, and advocates to return trust to the process and ultimately purchase the site. After waiting patiently through the recession, Kevin and his team re-introduced the historic house of worship at a gala event last fall. Now a dynamic events venue, The Sanctuary stands in the heart of downtown as a truly heroic success story.

https://www.thesanctuaryseattle.com/

Most Endangered Places

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Elks Building

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2003

Location: Tacoma, Pierce County

The 1916 Beaux Arts-style Elks Building, which looms over Commencement Bay at the northern edge of Tacoma, is a contributing primary building in the Old City Hall Historic District and was built was when fraternal organizations were integral to the community. The Elks building sat empty and deteriorating for decades and in 2003 it was nominated as a Most Endangered Place because the owner threatened demolition. The public’s response was swift and the City of Tacoma prevailed in court, which ended the immediate threat. But the building remained empty, continuing to deteriorate.

In October 2009, McMenamins purchased the building and after some delays, construction finally began in 2017. The reimagined building weaves together art, local history, and their signature interior style and includes 45 guest rooms, multiple bars and restaurants (including al fresco dining on Tacoma’s iconic Spanish Steps), a music and events venue, and much more. The project cost totaled $34.5 million and utilized both federal and state historic tax credits. The McMenamins Elks Temple opened to great fanfare on April 24, 2019, and after sixteen years on our list, we can finally call one of Tacoma’s architectural treasures officially saved!

https://www.mcmenamins.com/elks-temple

Most Endangered Places

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Five Mile Schoolhouse

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2003

Location: Spokane County

The Five Mile Schoolhouse, formerly known as the Sky Prairie Schoolhouse, was built in 1937 by the federal Works Progress Administration. It’s a classic two-room, two-story brick schoolhouse, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Closed after 1969, it was used as a storage facility by the Mead School District. The property was neglected, with windows boarded. The school is now owned by the State of Washington. Five Mile Schoolhouse is a community gathering place and a potential space for all types of art, educational, recreational, and public/neighborhood activities. The schoolhouse reopened in 2006 after the building was remodeled. It is now home to the Mead Education Partnership Program, an alternative school that combines home schooling with time in the classroom.

Most Endangered Places

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Surrey Downs

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2009

Location: King County

As Sound Transit continues to focus on an alignment for the proposed East Link transit corridor through Bellevue, options under consideration could result in potential adverse impacts to the Surrey Downs neighborhood. Collectively, the Mithun
& Neslund-designed houses have been determined eligible for listing as a historic district in the National Register of Historic Places. It now falls on Sound Transit to ensure that the final alignment selected for the East Link Corridor fully considers the potential impacts to the neighborhood.

Most Endangered Places

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Sand Point Naval Air Station

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2009

Location: Seattle, King County

The history of Sand Point Naval Air Station begins in 1920, in the wake of World War I. Seeking to build an airbase in Puget Sound, King County Commissioners and U.S. Navy officers broke ground on a site at Sand Point, near Lake Washington, then outside Seattle city limits.

Over the next several years, the air station grew. Bill Boeing tested his first airplanes from Sand Point. In 1924, it was chosen as the launch and end points for the first aerial circumnavigation of the world. In 1927, Charles Lindbergh landed The Spirit of St. Louis at Sand Point and was treated to a ticker tape parade in downtown Seattle. In the 1930s, Works Progress Administration projects to fill in Mud Lake and Pontiac Bay, as well as Civilian Conservation Corps building projects, enabled the Navy to increase the number of buildings to 17. During World War II, Sand Point served as the headquarters of the 13th Naval District which oversaw the front lines in the Pacific, and the air station’s population ballooned to 8,000 personnel.

After World War II, activity at the air station slowed considerably, and it was ultimately decommissioned in 1970. In 1975, a large portion of the air station’s land was given to the City of Seattle, which was eventually developed into Magnuson Park, named in honor of longtime U.S. Senator Warren G. Magnuson, a former naval officer from Seattle. Over the next few decades, the runways were demolished and some of the air station’s historic buildings were torn down; others fell into disrepair, their futures uncertain.

In the late 2000s, the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation joined with community groups like Friends of Sand Point and Sand Point Arts & Cultural Exchange (SPACE) to advocate for the preservation of Sand Point’s historic buildings, listing Sand Point Naval Air Station on our Most Endangered Places list in 2009. Those advocacy efforts led to Sand Point’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 and to its designation as a historic district by the City of Seattle in 2011—making Sand Point Naval Air Station Landmark District Seattle’s eighth historic district, and the first one added in more than three decades.

Thanks to the Friends of Sand Point, SPACE, the City of Seattle’s Historic Preservation Program, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and many more community partners for their help in preserving these important historic sites.

http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/programs-and-services/historic-preservation/historic-districts/sand-point-naval-air-station-landmark-district

Most Endangered Places

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Libbey House

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2009

Location: Island County

Desiring to construct a new, larger house on the site, the current owner filed an application to demolish the historic Libbey House in March 2009. Given the significance of the resource, the Town of Coupeville is requiring that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) be prepared and has invoked a mandatory two-year waiting period required whenever demolition is proposed for a Class I historic structure.Despite this, the concern is that the owners will continue on the path towards demolition.

Most Endangered Places

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Curran House

Status: Saved!

Year Listed: 2009

Location: Pierce County

In the early 1990s, Pierce County purchased the property and the existing house for use as parkland.After incorporating
as a city in 1995,University Place assumed control of the property and in 1999 developed a Master Plan for the park in order to evaluate future uses and programs at the site. Of the several scenarios included in the plan, each called for retaining the Curran House based on findings that the building could serve a useful function and was an integral part of the property as a unit. Despite this planning document, the city is currently debating whether or not to demolish the structure, citing a variety of costs related to repairs, security, and utility bills as barriers to rehabilitation. Given the lack of funds, the responsibility has fallen on the community to provide money for needed improvements and ongoing maintenance.