The Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) announced grant awards in August for 14 historic rehabilitation projects for Third Places throughout the state in Auburn, Centralia, Chelan, Harrington, Hoquiam, Port Hadlock, Port Ludlow, Port Townsend, Pullman, Snoqualmie, Thorp, Tokeland, and Vashon Island. Third Places Grants are administered by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation under contract with DAHP, through the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program with Federal funds from the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. The grants are designed to support the rehabilitation of historic properties and foster economic development in rural communities by funding capital preservation projects for historic sites used as Third Places.

The Third Places grant award recipients are:

Auburn’s Neely Mansion is a local museum interpreting the history of six different cultures on one site, from the Muckleshoot Tribe who first occupied the land, to a Scots/Irish family, a Swiss/Swedish family, two Japanese families, and a Filipino family who later lived in and left their history imprinted on the house. The cedar shingle roof needs to be replaced before shingle deterioration leads to roof damage.

The Aerie Ballroom in Centralia, formerly a Fraternal Order of Eagles aerie, built in 1926, has served as a main gathering space for area proms, martial arts and ballroom dance classes, and family events, for most of its life span. The roof is significantly deteriorated and replacement will involve the sheathing and shingles, allowing it to continue to serve its community.

Built as an early movie theatre in 1914, the Ruby Theatre in Chelan still shows films for the community but also serves as a gathering and event space. This project would recreate a damaged stage curtain and valance, repair its track system, and fix an HVAC conduit interfering with the curtain operation, to restore a focal point of the historic theater.

The Hotel Lincoln in Harrington has been a community icon since its construction in 1902. This project aims to restore electrical service and complete wiring in one of the storefronts. The will provide rental space and income for the property.

Hoquiam’s 7th Street Theatre was built in 1928 and currently hosts a variety of cultural events in the town. Restoration of the J Street side of the building would include overall repair of masonry and stucco, assessment and repair of the metal attachments for balconies and marquee rods, and, with sufficient funding, repair the plaster stucco Assyrian-style bas-relief panels.

Port Hadlock’s Galster House, built in 1890, has been home to the Ajax Cafe since 1977. The building requires a new roof and parapet flashing to fix leaks in the building, and this project would also provide a small upgrade to the plumbing venting systems for the restrooms.

The Swansonville Church in Port Ludlow was constructed in 1905 as a community gathering space for the Port Ludlow mill town. The mill closed in the 1930s, and the church finally in the early 1990s. The new community moving to the area is committed to restoring this church building as a community space, starting with replacing a mismatch of posts and piers serving as the foundation with a continuous poured concrete footing. Work is based on a structural evaluation already completed.

The Port Townsend City Hall, constructed in 1891, also houses the Jefferson County Historical Society offices and museum. The project will restore the south-facing front entry doors, the primary entry to the building which is also along a main route through the city.

Port Townsend’s Rose Theatre, built in 1907 as a vaudeville stage, shows the evolution of theatres from live performance into films. The building is in need of a new roof to continue functioning as a gathering space for the community.

Pullman’s Old Post Office, built in 1929, is currently occupied by the Paradise Creek Brewery, a local gathering space hard-hit by the pandemic. To maintain the integrity of the building, they will clean and repoint the masonry exterior, as well as clean, repair, and replace in-kind the terracotta trim and details on the building.

The Snoqualmie Depot in Snoqualmie, now owned by the Northwest Railway Museum, still operates passenger train service for tourists and train lovers on weekends. Built in 1890, the Queen Anne style building has a cedar shingle roof in need of repair, along with the gutters. As the roof and its integral gutter system are character-defining, replacement with appropriate materials is a key part of this project.

The Thorp Mill in Thorp, constructed in 1883, survives with all its original machinery intact. Serving as an educational museum that interprets the agricultural history of the region, it also provides meeting space to its  community. A full replacement of the roof to match the work done on the annex in 2013 will reduce fire threat and weather damage to the interior machinery.

The Tokeland Hotel in Tokeland, originally a farmhouse that opened to guests in 1889, will perform a foundation elevation and condition survey, a window survey, as well as repairs to windows and the south (ocean-facing) wall of the building. The hotel and restaurant are connected to local artists, craftsmen, and farmers, provide meeting spaces to the community, and operate a neighborhood water system.

The Mukai Farm and Garden on Vashon Island provides interior and exterior community space telling the story of Japanese immigrants’ agricultural history in Washington state both before and after WWII-era incarceration. The Cold Process Fruit Barreling Plant, which would have foundation support installed based on a recent structural analysis, explores the processing side of the strawberry growing industry in the area, and would allow this building to be finished and opened to the public as part of the site.

Visit the grant program page for more information on the Third Places Fund, and see photos of the awarded projects here.