By valarie, on April 17th, 2013
 The City of Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board are appointees who serve under the Department of Neighborhood’s Historic Preservation program. At the meeting on April 17 the Montlake Elementary School building was on the agenda for the board’s consideration. The nine board members who were present agreed that the Montlake School building is worthy of nomination based upon one or more of six criteria. The board now has about about six weeks to consider, and tour the building if they so choose. A final vote, called designation, will take place on June 5th.
 The Montlake School landmark nomination has been brought forward with funding from the Montlake Community Council. They hired historic preservation specialists from BOLA Architecture + Planning to research the school building’s original design, architect and its eligibility for historic status. Of the six potential criteria for preservation, the Montlake School has been nominated on the basis of criteria (c) that the building is associated in a significant way with the cultural heritage of the community; (d) it embodies the distinctive visible characteristics of an architectural style; and (f) because of its prominence of spatial location, it is an easily identifiable visual feature of its neighborhood and contributes to the distinctive identity of Montlake.
What are the advantages of designating a school building as a City of Seattle landmark? The benefits include the management by the Landmarks Board of all future development or changes to the building, either as owned by Seattle Public Schools or, if ever closed and sold, the new owner. The goal of the Montlake Community Council is to preserve the school building and its site as a main feature of the Montlake neighborhood.
By valarie, on April 6th, 2013
 On successive Saturdays, April 13 and 20, Seattle’s architectural history will be presented from 1 to 3 PM at the downtown Seattle Public Library. The first lecture on April 13 will cover events in early Seattle and how building styles developed. What happened after Seattle’s Great Fire of June 1889? Who designed the buildings in Seattle’s Pioneer Square, and why do they look the way that they do? What stylistic influences gave direction to Seattle architecture in the years up to 1935?
 The second lecture on April 20 will pick up the story at about 1935, the dawn of the Modernist Era in architecture. Special attention will be given to Pacific Northwest Modernism whose outstanding architects include Paul Thiry, designer of the Northeast Branch Library, and Paul Hayden Kirk, designer of the University Unitarian Church. Lecturer Jeffrey Karl Ochsner has taught in the University of Washington architecture department for nearly 25 years and is the author or editor of several books on Seattle architects and history, including Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects. The lectures on April 13 and 20 will be held in the Microsoft Auditorium on the 1st floor of the downtown library, accessible from Fourth Avenue.
By valarie, on March 20th, 2013
At the March 20, 2013 Landmarks Board meeting the ten board members voted unanimously that Pinehurst School at 11530 12th Ave NE is NOT worthy of preservation. This means that the School District could potentially tear down the present Pinehurst building to rebuild or reuse the site in another way.
 Larry Johnson, architect, prepares to make a presentation at Landmarks Board. The presentation about Pinehurst School was made by architect and historian Larry Johnson of The Johnson Partnership Architects, on behalf of Seattle Public Schools. Mr. Johnson made a complete study of the history of the school, its surrounding neighborhood, and the architectural firm which designed the present building. The nomination report can be read under “Current Nominations” on the Dept. of Neighborhoods Historic Preservation page. The goal of the study was to find whether the school building met any of the six criteria for historic preservation, including outstanding design, association with a historic event, or embodiment of distinctive characteristics of an architectural style.
In 1950 the architectural firm of Mallis, DeHart & Hopkins designed the Pinehurst School and that same year they also designed Nathan Eckstein Junior High School at 3003 NE 75th Street. Eckstein (now a middle school) has already been “landmarked” because it was voted by Landmarks Board to be an outstanding work of Mallis, DeHart & Hopkins and a very distinctive work in the International Style of architecture. Eckstein’s curving glass front conveys International Style in its emphasis upon the beauty of the materials themselves, without reliance upon decorative trim.
 Eckstein Middle School has already been designated as a historic landmark. One of the reasons why Pinehurst School did not win landmark status is that the building’s design is not unified, with the plan made even more confusing in later years by several badly-placed additions. The Pinehurst building does not have any recognizable form or style. The failure of Pinehurst School to achieve landmark status may mean that a new school might be built in its place. I (Valarie) attempted to ask a school district official who was present at today’s meeting, whether the Thornton Creek School at Decatur (in Wedgwood) might also be under consideration for tear-down and replacement. The official replied, “I can’t answer that question because I am not a program manager.” Stay tuned for reports on Wedgwood-area schools as information becomes available.
By Johnson, on January 22nd, 2013
Hangar 2 Design Charrette at Magnuson Park
Saturday, January 26
10am – 12pm
Dress warmly and bring your ideas, questions or expertise as we discuss strategies and potential partnerships to activate this important building in the Magnuson Park Historical District. You can find loads of info and photos of the Hangar 2 at this great website. Directions:
- Enter Magnuson Park off of Sand Point Way NE at the 74th Street entrance. There is a little gatehouse here.
- Drive into the park and turn left on 63rd Street.
- Hangar 2 is the last building on your left and there should be plentiful parking.
Feel free to attend even if you just want to sneak a peek at the inside of the building and not stay for the discussion. This building is being mothballed and it will be much harder to ever get inside until it’s redeveloped.
By valarie, on November 5th, 2012
Take a good look now, because the Big Green House at 7321 35th Ave NE might not be there much longer. The owner/developer has applied for permits to replace the house with 2 residences and 2 live/work units.
Historic preservation of the Big Green House has been investigated and it was found not to qualify under Seattle’s landmarking ordinance. Although the house is old (about 100 years) it does not meet the preservation criteria of distinctive architecture or association with significant people and events in Seattle history. The background story of the Big Green House can be found on Valarie’s Wedgwood in Seattle History blog.
By Johnson, on October 1st, 2012
(This originally was posted on the The Future of 35th website.)
35th Ave NE Neighborhood Walk
Saturday, October 6th, 9-11AM
Back in August, the 35th Ave NE Committee toured six neighborhoods throughout Seattle and Kirkland to see what we thought worked well and not so well. We took with us the knowledge gleaned from the 7-part Coffee Talk series and looked at what makes other neighborhoods great. This Saturday, October 6th, from 9AM-11AM, we’ll walk down 35th Ave NE to inventory business-types, discuss what works, what doesn’t work as well, and where we think are high priority locations.
All are welcome to join us during this walk. We may also have to stop in some of our local purveyors of edible goodness as part of our business-type inventory. If you plan on joining us, please come dressed appropriately for a 1 mile-ish walk, bring a camera and note pad to document your thoughts, and come a willingness to discuss your thoughts respectfully with others.
See you Saturday!
By Johnson, on August 20th, 2012
(This originally was posted on the The Future of 35th website.)
 Coffee Talk 7: The Trade Offs of Land Use Planning
Thursday, August 23rd, 7-8:30PM
Wedgwood Presbyterian Church
Some say that the only constant in life is change. If this is true, change is sure to come to 35th Ave NE. Thanks to the Community Planning Assistance Team (CPAT) from the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association, for the past six months we have been hosting land use planning presentation on various concepts related to improving 35th Ave NE. We learned about the conditions necessary for businesses to thrive, improving walkability, architectural design standards and principles, successful streetscape features and placemaking, the benefits of density, and incentivizing successful development.
However, through the discussion of some of these concepts it is clear that changes to 35th Ave NE could result in unanticipated impacts to the surrounding community. These impacts are often those things that are considered trade offs in development. This Thursday evening, at our FINAL Coffee Talk, Bill LaPatra with Mithun discusses some of those trade offs that come along with land use planning and ultimately a more successful commercial corridor.
As always, a special thanks to Top Pot Doughnuts for providing delicious goodness for these events.
By Johnson, on August 15th, 2012
(This originally was posted on the The Future of 35th website.)
The 35th Ave NE Steering Committee (35th Committee) has been a sponge throughout the Coffee Talk series. From learning what makes safe, walkable commercial corridors to the conditions necessary for our local businesses to survive and thrive, the 35th Committee has been learning about what can be done. Recently, the 35th Committee went on a field trip to three commercial corridors that have interesting things going on and provide a variety of ideas to consider bringing to 35th Ave NE. Below is a review of our field trip and a brief discussion of what each commercial corridor had to offer.
 Mixed-use development using terracing and setbacks to reduce sense of scale from the street. Kirkland
Downtown Kirkland is a rapidly changing community with a variety of housing types and densities intermixed within both new and older commercial developments. The City has the benefit of having Lake Washington and beautiful views which to plan around. However, the growth of Kirkland over the past 10 years provided us an opportunity to see how new and old development can coexist together, how developers have used architecture to soften the scale and bulk through setbacks, terracing, and variable ground floor heights. We also were able to see how recent development incorporated placemaking, streetscape features, and gathering places into their projects.
 A mixed-use development in Madrona enhances the corner and uses streetscape features well to create a gathering place. Madrona
For such a geographically small commercial corridor with zoning (NC-30) similar to that around 35th Ave NE and NE 75th Street, Madrona packs a punch. Madrona is not considered an “Urban Village” within the City’s Comprehensive Plan, yet it has managed to create a successful commercial corridor that appears to serve the surrounding neighborhood well. There are numerous eateries that function as destinations from the nearby single-family neighborhoods and a couple of key services (e.g., school, library, parks, deli/market, salons, coffee shop) which accommodate many of the other daily needs of nearby residents. The result is a small, neighborhood commercial corridor that has successfully incorporated a moderate degree of new development over the past 15-20 years while maintaining its character. My personal take home lesson from this neighborhood is that business types really do matter in the success and vitality of a commercial corridor.
Wallingford
Our field trip transitioned from a non-Urban Village in Madrona to Wallingford, an Urban Village with codified growth targets. While we weren’t able to walk the whole commercial corridor, we did take a long look at a relatively new mixed-use building at NE 45th St and Bagley Ave N. This building uses a variety of architectural techniques to soften the bulk and scale of the building, similar to what was seen in Kirkland, while also transitioning to the single-family residences to the south. This is one of the projects touched on by Catherine Benotto during the Coffee Talk 5: Density and its Benefits talk, whose firm Weber Thompson designed. Parking for this building is off of Bagley Ave N, south of ground-floor residences that open onto Bagley. My personal take home message from this neighborhood is that transitional zoning is not required, although good design is, in order to achieve a respectful and thoughtful transition transition to adjacent single-family residences.
View Larger Map
This coming Saturday, the 35th Committee will go on another field trip to the Greenwood/Phinney, Queen Anne, and California (West Seattle) commercial corridors.
Next Thursday, August 23rd, will be the final Coffee Talk of the 7-part series open to everyone. The topic of this final Coffee Talk will be on the trade offs of land use planning. Please join us from 7-8:30PM at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church.
By Johnson, on July 23rd, 2012
(This originally was posted on the The Future of 35th website.)
Coffee Talk 6: Financial Realities of Development. Incentivizing Successful Development – Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, Thursday, July 26th, 7-8:30PM (free doughnuts!)
Density. It’s a four letter word to some and can strike fear in predominantly single-family neighbors like ours along 35th Ave NE despite its many different forms and means of measurement. While at the Seattle City Light’s formal hearing last week on their plans to dispose of (sell) their 5 surplussed substations throughout NE Seattle, a frequent comment was something like this, “Whatever you do, I don’t want more density.”
Yet there are many benefits that density can bring to residential communities like ours, most of which were articulated in the Wedgwood neighborhood’s Vision Plan. Catherine Benotto, with the architecture and planning firm Weber Thompson, shared some of the benefits from increased density during our last Coffee Talk, which include increased neighborhood services, increased availability to transit (less driving!), increased walkability, more diverse retail, and more.
The fact is increased density is going to occur along 35th Ave NE based on the current zoning. The question is how to encourage the types of development that support a more walkable neighborhood with the strong retail corridor that includes more restaurants, hardware store, and book shop like the community has said it wants?
Our upcoming Coffee Talk on Thursday, July 26th at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church from 7-8:30PM, will feature just this. Ellen Miller-Wolfe, the Kirkland Director of Economic Development, will speak on the “Financial Realities of Development. Incentivizing Successful Development.” As always, the Coffee Talk is sponsored by our phenomenal neighbor, Top Pot Doughnuts.
Here is a terrible quality video of Coffee Talk 5: The Benefits of Density, featuring Catherine Benotto, for your viewing pleasure.
Coffee Talk 5: ”Density and its Benefits” from Wedgwood Community Council on Vimeo.
By Johnson, on June 19th, 2012
 One of the first buildings encountered by visitors to Magnuson Park as they enter off of NE 74th Street is Building 18…an old firehouse. Like many of the historic buildings on site, it’s in serious disrepair and in need of much TLC. Another similarity to many of the other buildings throughout the site is the question, “What should be done with it?” That’s where you come in, thanks to the website, Popularise.
Popularise is a website that lets people in the community have a voice on what should be done for specific properties and projects. First unveiled in December 2011 by a couple real estate and developer types in Washington D.C. as a way to find out what the community wanted from an underutilized building they owned, Popularise allows people to share ideas and comment or vote on others.
Julianna Ross, the chair of the Magnuson Park Advisory Committee, is soliciting ideas on what to do with “the old firehouse.” According to the building description on the site,
Building 18’s location is ideal for a variety of purposes, being sited on what is considered the park’s Main Street, and is on the way to many of the park’s most popular amenities like the off-leash dog area, nine ball fields, restored wetlands, outdoor amphitheater, community garden and playground. It is directly across from another important historic building, Building 30, a former airplane hangar with offices that is being renovated by the City beginning October 2012.
The building enjoys abundant parking, visibility and pedestrian access. The first floor openings are mainly comprised of large garage doors, allowing inviting access and good social space. The first floor also presents a charming brick interior. Its four-story tower formerly used for drying hoses is visible from much of the historic district.
 So far, the ideas for the building range from converting the site into a Navy Support Museum, creating an information center, or bringing a “Firehouse Cafe” to the park.
Do you like any or all of these ideas? Have you had a “genius moment” and feel compelled to share something completely different for what should happen there? If so, check out Popularise and have a say on what could happen to “the old firehouse.”
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The Montlake School landmark nomination has been brought forward with funding from the Montlake Community Council. They hired historic preservation specialists from BOLA Architecture + Planning to research the school building’s original design, architect and its eligibility for historic status. Of the six potential criteria for preservation, the Montlake School has been nominated on the basis of criteria (c) that the building is associated in a significant way with the cultural heritage of the community; (d) it embodies the distinctive visible characteristics of an architectural style; and (f) because of its prominence of spatial location, it is an easily identifiable visual feature of its neighborhood and contributes to the distinctive identity of Montlake.
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