When the Nisqually Earthquake hit Seattle over two years ago, a number of public agencies and private foundations came together to help. In the first days after the disaster, public safety was a number one priority, while historic preservation concerns seemed to take a back seat, at least in the media.

The earthquake and its aftermath pushed Historic Seattle to respond, both as a source of funding for damaged landmark buildings, and as a resource for property owners and the press. Two years later, Historic Seattle and many city property owners are still seeing the results of these efforts. Though many recipients still have a long road of repairs, retrofits, and rehabilitation ahead, there are several success stories.

Our Program

Thanks to Historic Seattle's Save the Buildings Fund, which was conceived as a pool of intervention money that would help our organization act quickly, we were able to pledge $250,000 toward the relief effort in hopes that our commitment would leverage more support for historic building repair and retrofit. What better use of intervention funds than a program that helped multiple property owners of earthquake damaged landmark properties recover?

After communicating with a number of other organizations, public agencies, FEMA, the SBA, and private foundations, Historic Seattle decided to partner with the City of Seattle's Office of Economic Development to provide reimbursements of up to $10,000 for architectural and engineering fees. Though these services were a small part of the overall price tag for many properties, the criteria helped a little money go a long way.

Over a dozen properties received reimbursements through our program, and most of these were in either the Chinatown-International District or Pioneer Square.

The first building to receive funds through our program was 901 Occidental, located next to the stadiums on a stretch of First Avenue that extends the district south toward SODO. The building housed about 40 tenants before the quake, and needed immediate repairs to get the doors open again. The side walls had moved outward, in some places as much as an inch and a half. There were a number of shear cracks in the headers of the front and rear walls. The brick at the corners of the building was displaced by more than half a brick's width. The terra cotta facing First Avenue shifted, and suffered some cracks, and many beams shifted sideways.

Historic Seattle and the city provided the full $10,000 to the building owner for engineering expenses related to these damages. BPA Consulting Engineers provided engineering services on this project.

The nearby Sluggers Sports found out about our program because of our engagement in 901 Occidental. The building suffered similar damage and Sluggers could not open its doors to business that would have helped pay for repairs. DCI Engineers provided the work on this project. $8372.96 of program funds was spent helping the building recover.

Another Pioneer Square business, McCoy's Firehouse, suffered significant damage, and was having a hard time paying for repairs and ADA upgrades required as a part of the work. The business was closed due to damage, but restaurant income was much needed to pay for repairs. One Friday, while having happy hour drinks with a few Pioneer Square business owners, I met Crystal McCoy who had almost lost her voice and was completely stressed out about paying the contractors. She had put the most recent invoice on her personal credit card. I told her about the program, which was a perfect fit for her needs. She was very grateful, and I was extremely glad to have some solution that would help the McCoys get back in business. Pacific Engineering Technologies provided engineering services on this project while OTAK provided design work.

The McCoys have been open for business for over a year now.

Other buildings significantly effected by the quake also had to close up shop, but could not look to potential earned income to help pay for repairs. Two social service agencies, the Bread of Life Mission and the Compass Center, both had to send their homeless and very low income clients to other places for help. Both agencies suffered staggering damage and saw enormous repair bills.

The Bread of Life Mission received the maximum reimbursement. Ira Gross provided engineering services while Merrick Lentz Architects provided architectural services in the form of permit drawings.

The Compass Center is still mostly closed, and in search of funding. Current plans for the building were drawn up by Stickney Murphy Romine Architects, well known for their award winning preservation work involving affordable housing. Ira Gross provided engineering services for this project. The Compass Center hopes to receive full funding for its plans to increase its services and housing, but is awaiting approval from key funders.

Many properties within the Chinatown International District suffered some form of earthquake damage. Many of these historic buildings provide affordable housing, in full or in part. All projects funded by our program provide housing, or will provide housing once rehabilitation work is complete.

The Milwaukee and Alps Hotels, owned by the same entity, both received funds for engineering work. Neither building appears, from the outside, to have made much progress, but short term repairs and retrofit solutions were required to be sure the buildings remained standing. The buildings will be, most likely, sold to an owner who will develop affordable housing. Otto Rosenau and Associates provided engineering services for this project.

The Hong Kong Building was originally housing, but was gutted in the 1990s for imagined office space. This never happened, and the upper floors of the building were vacant before the quake. Earthquake funds went to an affordable housing plan for the building, designed by architect Paul Wu.

The Hip Sing Building once provided housing, but now is only partially occupied by a community club. This building had a number of structural problems after the quake, including the common problem of separation of different building materials from one another at critical joints. This building may see affordable housing in the future.

The Bush Hotel, which is managed by the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority, suffered much damage and hired Building Envelope Technology and Research to assess their building. Funding from Historic Seattle's program paid for part of this study, and for engineering work at the Bush Annex.

Individual Landmark Buildings

All but one of the four individual landmark buildings receiving aid from our program are associated with religious uses. Lessons learned from these recipients helped Historic Seattle better understand that a comprehensive program should be developed to aid religious properties. Last year, we began initial research and development of a Sacred Sites Initiative that will do just that.

A National Register and Washington State Register landmark, the German House, located on First Hill was originally an assay office. Much of the damage to the building was repaired by volunteers, but some engineering assessment was required. This was paid for by our response program. Marx Okubo Engineers provided services for this project.

Trinity Parish Episcopal Church, near our offices on First Hill, suffered significant damage to their landmark stone sanctuary, which has been closed since the quake. The church has done an excellent job of raising funds for earthquake retrofit and repairs, and a capital campaign that had been underway even before the disaster. Bassetti Architects have provided the project management for the building side of this effort. Rector Paul Collins has been a great leader within the church for the building's preservation, and has been exceptionally helpful to Historic Seattle in our initial consideration of Sacred Sites.

The Seattle Hebrew Academy was an especially tragic story that now, thankfully, has a happy ending. The building located on scenic Interlaken Boulevard was once a convent. Its location on a steep slope and its brick construction made it especially vulnerable to earthquake damage. The school had to close, and its students were temporarily relocated, while funds were sought. We reimbursed the full $10,000 limit to the school, but this felt like a drop in the bucket compared to their estimated $5 million repair and retrofit. Coughlin Porter Lundeen provided engineering services for this project.

The good news is that the Samis Foundation, dedicated to Jewish education and other heritage issues came forward with a generous grant of over $4 million.

Prior to that check, the Academy's future seemed bleak. The school appealed FEMA's decision to deny funding due to the school's religious mission. This left a substantial hole in the financing for repairs.

Mount Baker Park Presbyterian Church, located on Hunter Boulevard in Mount Baker Park was not an official landmark when a member of the church called our offices to inquire about our program. To receive funding, buildings needed to have official landmark status. Severe cracks in the church's distinctive bell tower, and the costs of repair made the church consider how important the tower was to their mission. They eventually decided the tower was important enough to save, and have found funds to cover these expenses.

Mount Baker Park Presbyterian has a strong community presence, which played a part in the church's decision to agree to a landmark nomination, and to pay for the tower preservation. Someone got the smart idea to hang a "Save Our Tower" banner on the tower itself, which provoked over 100 community members (not church members) to donate.

The church received the maximum reimbursement for engineering services which were provided by Swenson Say Faget Engineers.

Making this Happen

A part of the funds we set aside for earthquake response supported advocacy and coordination. Providing good and helpful information to the press, finding out about other funding programs available to help property owners of historic buildings, gathering information from California about how they've coped with earthquakes, and direct contact with grant recipients of our program required considerable staff time.

The earthquake accelerated Historic Seattle's plan to develop its advocacy component, and helped our governance agree to a full time staff position for this work.

The Cadillac Hotel

Historic Seattle began discussions with Goodman Financial Services about a potential sale in September of 2001 after the owner submitted a certificate of approval for the demolition of the building. The Cadillac was, at that point, the only designated structure official in peril (the Sunset Hotel will hopefully be the only historic building demolished as a result of quake damage).

Today (March 2003) plans are well underway for the redevelopment of the Cadillac Hotel. We became proud owners of the building earlier this year. With the help of much community support, the National Parks Service's Klondike Gold Rush Museum will be the building's primary tenant. As the museum decides how it will improve its services in the future, Historic Seattle is seeing its plans, designed by Stickney Murphy Romine Architects (Andy Phillips, Project Architect; Ron Murphy, Principal in charge), move toward a Master Use Permit.

The project team, including Historic Seattle's Director of Real Estate Development, Mark Blatter, met with the Architectural Review Committee of the Pioneer Square Preservation District Board on February 26 to go over our plans so far. They seemed pleased. So are we.

The project is due to start construction later this year, and will be complete, in the summer of 2004. More on the Cadillac's preservation in next month's Preservation Seattle.

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