Nine Projects Receive First-Ever Landmark Challenge Grants
October 3, 2008 - Preservation 4Culture is delighted to announce nine projects have been awarded $150,000 through the brand-new Landmark Challenge Grants program. The program provides matching funds for "bricks and mortar" projects involving significant historic properties.
One of the most exciting projects is a plan to rebuild the clock mechanism and lighting in the clock tower at King Street Station between Pioneer Square and the Chinatown/International District. The Seattle Department of Transportation will use its $22,727 grant to restore the four clocks - part of a larger rehabilitation of the 1906 structure, now a central hub in the region's expanding public transportation network.
"We're thrilled to be able to support the Department of Transportation's restoration of a major visual landmark for this historic neighborhood. When illuminated at night, the clock tower will once again serve as a beacon for locals and travelers."
-Flo Lentz, 4Culture Historic Preservation
DOT project manager Trevina Wang reveals there is one mystery in the King Street Station restoration project. No one seems to remember the original color of the neon lights surrounding the clock face, and no color photographs captured the clock as it glowed at night. (If you know the answer, email Wang at trevina.wang@seattle.gov.)
More 2008 Landmark Rehabilitation Program Grant Recipients
 5th Church of Christ Scientist / Rainier Valley Cultural Center (Southeast Effective Development (SEED), $10,119): Critical exterior improvements to the Rainier Valley Cultural Center, including upgrades to wooden portico columns and exterior lighting, and replacement of all deteriorated rain gutters.
 Des Moines Park Field House (City of Des Moines, $10,000): Rehabilitation and code upgrade of a 1940s wooden grandstand located in the WPA-built Des Moines Field House Park.
 Mill Creek Canyon Earthworks Park (City of Kent, $13,875): First phase of site restoration, including removal of invasive vegetation and regrading of the double-ring pond at the Herbert Beyer Earthworks.
7th Church of Christ Scientist (Seattle Church of Christ, $19,779): Building waterproofing, including replacement of damaged Spanish tile roofing, installation of partial membrane below tile, and replacement of copper flashing.
 Chapel Car 5 "Messenger of Peace" (Northwest Railway Museum, $20,000): Stabilization and restoration to original condition of an 1898 railroad chapel car, a high profile piece of the Northwest Railway Museum's rolling stock collection.
 Tugboat Arthur Foss (Northwest Seaport, $25,000): Arresting freshwater infiltration on the historic tugboat Arthur Foss's deckhouse and wheelhouse, including a survey of the wheelhouse and main deck, and repairs and restoration of original material as needed.
 Paramount Theatre's Mighty Wurlitzer (Seattle Theatre Group, $11,500): Restoration of the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, including replacement of deteriorated hand-crafted parts and technical consultation.
 North Creek School House (City of Bothell, $17,000): Stabilization and restoration of the 1902 North Creek School House in its new location at a Bothell city park, including installation of a new foundation, front porch repairs, and restoration of windows and siding.
4Culture's new Landmark Challenge Grants fund repairs, restoration, and rehabilitation of private and public structures, ships, cemeteries, public art, barns, and landscapes. To qualify for a Landmark Challenge Grant, the project budget must be at least $20,000, and a one-to-one cash match is required. The program is open to any property officially designated as a landmark by a community's local preservation ordinances, as well as those recognized by the National Register of Historic Places for communities without their own designation programs. Previously, 4Culture funding for preservation work was limited to a small pool of King County-designated landmarks in unincorporated areas, and to properties landmarked through special inter-local agreements with the County.
For more information on the Landmark Challenge Grants, contact Flo Lentz, Preservation 4Culture, 206-296-8682.
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