2016 SHPO Award Winners Announced

Dr. Allyson Brooks, State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) announced the recipients for the 2016 Outstanding Achievements in Historic Preservation. Each year, the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) honors persons, organizations, and projects that have achieved distinction in the field of historic preservation. Awards are made in the following categories: Barn Rehabilitation, Cemetery Preservation, Career Achievement, Preservation Education, Preservation Stewardship, Special Achievement, and the coveted Valerie Sivinski Award for Outstanding Rehabilitation of historic buildings. In 2016, eleven honorees will receive awards in seven categories.  This year’s contingent of winners hail from Douglas, Jefferson, King, Kittitas, Pierce, and Whatcom counties.  In addition, two historic preservation milestones will be celebrated at the awards ceremony. First, the SHPO invited all former Washington state preservation officers to participate in a special 25^th Anniversary retrospective of outstanding achievements in Washington Historic Preservation. Second, 2016 marks the 50^th anniversary of the signing into law of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, a key law championed by Washington’s congressional leaders. A ceremony is held annually during the National Historic Preservation Month celebration in May. There will be a reception at 1:00 pm followed by the awards ceremony at 2:00 pm on May 17, 2016, at the Pritchard Building on the Capital Campus in Olympia.