Foundation Laid for New Program to Preserve Barns
King County's rural heritage received a boost this fall when the county council allocated $50,000 in 2007 to a new program aimed at preserving the county's historic barns. The money will support creation of a grant program to fund the stabilization and restoration of historically significant barns. Three agencies are cooperating on the project: King County Historic Preservation Program, King County Extension, and 4Culture.
An estimated 150 of the iconic structures remain in the Snoqualmie Valley, the Enumclaw Plateau, the Green River Valley, on Vashon Island, and other rural pockets. Barns in the county and throughout the nation are slowly disappearing near urban areas, as land comes under pressure for residential development and farming technology evolves. Many barns are torn down or left to collapse from neglect. The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation placed all of the state's barns on its 2006 list of most endangered properties.
However, even urban dwellers understand the role barns have played in rural life, and identify the structures with the country's agricultural economy. Today, large, well-preserved barns attract tourists to rural areas. "Barns have everything to do with rural history and rural heritage," says Holly Taylor of Past Forward Northwest Cultural Services, which is working on the King County project. "We can do something now, or we can look around in 20 years and see that there's nothing left."
King County has completed the initial phase of a survey of the area's historic barns. Grants will help the owners of up to 20 barns stabilize and restore the structures in exchange for public access, field trips for schools, or agreements to maintain the barns. Some revisions to county building codes are also planned to help owners meet program goals. Officials believe the barns project could become a model for barn preservation nationwide.
For more information on the King County barn preservation program, contact Julie Koler, 206.296.8689, Julie Koler.
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