PRESERVING THE HEART: TAKING A LOOK AT DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER’S HISTORY

The Clark County Historic Preservation Commission is sponsoring “Preserving the Heart: Meet Me at the Kiggins” from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on September 2, 2011 in conjunction with the Vancouver Downtown Association’s First Friday Art Walk. The event, at the Kiggins Theater, looks at Vancouver’s rich history and features a series of 15-minute presentations by historians and preservation experts.  Topics include downtown Vancouver in the 1930’s, the Northwest’s first neighborhood- the Village at Fort Vancouver, the architectural legacy of Day Hilborn and a look at the life of showman and mayor J.P. Kiggins.  Presenters include historian and retired City Councilmember Pat Jollota, Andrew Gregg, Chairman of the Historic Preservation Commission, Michael Houser from the Washington State Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation and Dr. Douglas Wilson, archeologist from Fort Vancouver. The evening also features displays of local historic preservation projects including the 78^th Street Heritage Farm, formerly the County Poor Farm and Fort Vancouver’s Artillery Barracks, along with tours of the newly renovated Kiggins Theater. The Clark County Historic Preservation Commission, a combined county and city of Vancouver commission, raises awareness of historic and cultural resources and services as the county’s primary resource on historic preservation.  The Commission maintains the Clark County Heritage Register and reviews proposed design changes to registered historic properties. For additional information about the Commission and the schedule for the Preserving the Heart program go to www.clark.wa.gov/planning/historic