City of Seattle landmark nominations, like most landmark nominations, are designed to provide landmarks boards with information that helps them determine whether or not a given resource is significant enough to be recognized as exceptional and worthy of protection. In Seattle, landmarks designation comes with controls which are regulated by the Landmarks Board - this isn't taken lightly by the Board or city landmarks staff.

In Seattle, landmarks must be older than 25 years, and maintain enough integrity to convey their significance, in addition to meeting one or more of six established criteria.

The landmark nomination itself can be completed by anyone, but because the nomination constitutes evidence that could lead to city ordinance and regulation, information needs to be provided in a clear, thorough but concise way.

Some information is easier to come by than others. Most people have trouble with some part of the first nomination they prepare. Even professional architects have trouble writing the architectural description, so don't be discouraged if your first draft is sent back to you for revisions.

The How-To of a Landmark Nomination

Because the City of Seattle's landmark nomination form is relatively unstructured, it is up to the author to provide organization. The nomination should include everything needed to describe the building, its history and context, and its significance, while omitting irrelevant details or "fluff." It should be submitted clipped together, not stapled, so that it can be copied easily.

Cover Page: The What and Where to Find It

The city provides a yellow cover page that can be completed by hand. It includes current and historic building names, parcel number, original and current owners, and uses.

Landmark nomination preparers now have a number of web resources that can help determine basic information about properties in the area. Here are some of the most useful:

City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development (DPD) GIS maps. You can also access building permit information through the map interface.

This site has all the research links for DPD.

Deeds, which will help you determine past owners and sales prices, are located at the King County Recorder's Office. Their records are set up by Grantor (Seller) and Grantee (Buyer).

The King County Recorder's Office also houses plat maps.

Other useful property and tax information are available at the King County Tax Assessor's Office. Some information is available online in the form of a parcel viewer that you can search by address or parcel number.

The City of Seattle Property Finder can help you track down parcel numbers and addresses. You can zoom to an address, neighborhood, or nearby city property, such as a park. You can zoom in on the map you'll see and click the button marked "Identify Tax Parcel" and click on a property to show the owner, address, and tax parcel number. You can use this info to direct your search in other county departments.

How to Begin?

Start with a one or two paragraph summary of the nomination, briefly describing the property, its history and significance.

Include a brief description of the surrounding area and its development, including relevant features such as neighboring buildings, natural features, topography, major roadways, etc.

Some maps, useful for landmark preparers, are available online. These include WSU's Early Washington Maps, and Sanborn Maps available on the Seattle Public Library's website. Sanborn maps are historic insurance maps created at a time when fire was a serious threat to personal property. They are now a tremendously helpful record for architectural historians and others researching the built environment.

What's it Look Like Now?

The description of the resource being nominated is one of the key parts of the nomination, and should include a thorough description of the building's exterior and a general description of the interior, highlighting features that are significant in terms of style or craftsmanship. If there is more than one building, each should be treated separately.

Reference guides are a must for even the most seasoned architectural historians. Assembling a useful library of reference books can be costly, and general takes several years for those diligent enough to comb used book stores for the best deals.

Here is a summary, annotated guide to books useful for preparers of City of Seattle landmark nominations.

Landmark nomination preparers also have to describe the building as it looked originally, and then describe what changes have been made, along with the approximate dates of the changes. The description of the building's original appearance should be separated out from the description of the building's changes. It's generally useful to include subheadings within the nomination to clarify what aspect of the building you're describing. The Board should be able to visualize the building from your text without seeing the photographs.

Statement of Significance

A large portion of the nomination includes a history of the resource, including date of construction, architect, original and subsequent owners, original and later uses, tenants over time and other relevant information.

Historic context is the other important component. How does this building fit into the history of the city or the neighborhood? How does it compare to other buildings of the period, or of that type or use, or other works by that architect. The background of the architect, if known, and his/her other works should also be addressed.

HistoryLink contains a searchable database of local history books. The Seattle Public Library, the University of Washington's Special Collections and other local archives are helpful in researching historic significance.

King County's Public Development Authority for arts, heritage and preservation maintains an exceptional archive of bibliographic information helpful to local history researchers.

When crafting your argument for significance, consider questions such as:

-- How is it an outstanding example of its style or an outstanding work of the architect?

-- How did the building contribute significantly to the development of the area or the city?

-- What does it represent that is important (such as a social or architectural trend)?

-- Is it related to an important person? Why was he or she significant? In what way was he or she connected to the building? Is the connection significant?

-- Is this building unique in some way or are there others like it (style, building type, historical use, etc.)? Is this the city's best example?

Summing Things Up

Although it isn't required, it is useful to list each landmark criterion and indicate how it does or does not apply. Also, discuss the degree of historical integrity; that is, the extent to which it retains its original character.

In Addition...

You need to include the name and address of the nomination's author and the date of submittal. You'll also include attachments such as a bibliography (including reference books, maps, directories, public records articles, interviews/conversations, etc.); a site map showing building location and relevant site details; relevant property record cards; building permits and plans; and historic photos, particularly the tax assessor photo. Contemporary photos of the building and site should be numbered and keyed to the description within the body of the nomination.

Other Helpful Websites for Landmark Nomination Preparers:

Seattle City Archives, especially for historic photos of streets and neighborhoods.

UW Special Collections, paying attention to "databases and finding aids"

King County Snapshots

WSU Digital Collections

Washington State Archives

Museum of History and Industry, especially for its extensive online photography database.

View last month's Pending Landmarks article

Back to Top