FAQ
What is the Northwest Resource Center for Preservation and what is the relationship to Historic Seattle?
Historic Seattle is a 34 year old, nonprofit organization dedicated to architectural preservation. Historic Seattle believes that buildings provide an essential link to the past, reminding us of who we are and where we came from. We fulfill our mission by engaging citizens and policy makers in considering the value of historic buildings, by offering public lectures and tours on a wide variety of neighborhood, architecture, and preservation issues, and by acquiring and rehabilitating historic buildings.
The Northwest Resource Center for Preservation is an education and advocacy initiative of Historic Seattle that will support the organization’s mission. The Resource Center will be located within Historic Seattle’s headquarters at the Dearborn House, 1117 Minor Avenue, in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle.
What is the goal of the Resource Center?
The primary goal of the Northwest Resource Center for Preservation is to expand knowledge about historic preservation and its relevance to a broader audience and to stimulate citizen and organizational involvement in improving stewardship of historic and older properties.
What is the Resource Center’s Advisory Committee?
In November, 2006 a Resource Center business plan was developed and reviewed by Historic Seattle staff and council. It was determined that professional assistance was required to assist with the development of the project. In April, 2007 Historic Seattle successfully recruited and held the first of several monthly meetings of an Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from Historic Seattle’s Council, MOHAI, Seattle Public Library, Seattle Municipal Archives, Puget Sound Regional Archives, National Park Service, University of Washington - Law Library, Special Collections and Architecture / Planning Departments as well as many noted writers and lecturers.
These individuals generously committed their time and offered professional expertise while participating in discussion sessions with topics such as collections and information management, marketing, branding, staffing, funding, peer organization partnerships and long range strategic planning. The recommendations put forth by the Advisory Committee serve as guiding principles as Historic Seattle develops the Resource Center.
Who has contributed to the Resource Center?
Since acquiring the Dearborn House through a substantial patron donation in 1997, Historic Seattle has envisioned our 100 year old headquarters as a clearinghouse for historic preservation information.
A generous contribution from long time Historic Seattle friend, Patsy MacKay enabled our organization to restore and renovate space within the Dearborn House and provide the physical infrastructure needed for the Resource Center. Grants and in-kind gifts have also been contributed by King County’s 4Culture, the Ferguson Foundation and the Seattle Public Library.
Is the Resource Center open to the public?
The Resource Center is not currently open to the public. Historic Seattle staff continues to develop the infrastructure and programming necessary before the Ground Level and First Floor Music Room of the Dearborn House are open for public use and enjoyment.
What types of materials does the Resource Center currently have?
A draft of a Collections Management Policy has been created and will assist in the future development of our collection. Presently the collection includes the following materials:
- Miscellaneous specifications, reports, marketing materials, newsletters and plans produced by Historic Seattle over the 34-year life span of the organization.
- Gray Literature defined as documentary material that is not commercially published typically composed of technical reports, landmark nominations, working papers, historic structure reports, building plans, business documents, conference proceedings, environmental impact statements and review analysis.
- Visual material including 4,000 print photographs, 6,000 slides and transparencies, 4,000 digital files from CD or other sources, 75 VHS and 50 8-mm recordings of local history, design and architecture lectures.
- Approximately 750 books both rare and common in the following categories:
Local history
U.S. architectural surveys
State based architectural surveys
Preservation law
Preservation strategies and case studies
Architects
Architectural styles
Building types
Decorative and applied arts
Landscape design and surveys
Urban design and planning
Interior design
Technical - “How to”
Preservation principles, theory and history
Landmark process
- Non sequential editions of and random clippings from periodicals, newspapers and newsletters not limited to the following titles:
Old House Interiors
Preservation
Old House Journal
Traditional Building
Arts and Crafts Quarterly
American Bungalow
Style 1900
Columbia
Pacific Northwest Quarterly
Vernacular Architecture
Cultural Resource Management
National Trust for Historic Preservation Information / Preservation Briefs
What is the Historic Preservation Survey and Database Catalog project?
One of many substantive recommendations from the Resource Center’s Advisory Committee was the Historic Preservation Survey and Database Catalog project. Through funding from King County’s 4Culture, Historic Seattle developed and distributed a concise survey to 280 public libraries, historical associations, colleges and universities, city government and regional archives, and museums throughout Washington and Oregon to determine the extent of their historic preservation themed collections.
Survey results provided the data to create individual organization profiles. Historic Seattle’s website can be keyword searched to locate these profiles. It is Historic Seattle’s goal to promote a deeper level of understanding and appreciation for historic preservation. An accessible database highlighting collections stewarded by organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest helps our organization accomplish our mission.