SHPO Awards - 2023
Dr. Allyson Brooks, Washington State Historic preservation officer (SHPO) is proud to announce the 2023 award recipients for Outstanding Achievements in Historic Preservation. Each year, the Washington SHPO recognizes people, projects, and organizations throughout the state that have achieved distinction in the field of historic preservation.
The 2023 awardees come from Grant, Spokane, Skagit, King, Lincoln, Pacific, Stevens, Clark, Chelan, and Kitsap counties.
Heritage Barn Rehabilitation – Tum Tum Springs Dairy Barn, Clark County
Where there is a will, there is a way, and with a history of use by five generations of the Lawffer Family, saving their heritage barn was an easy decision. Located in rural Clark County in the community of Amboy, the Tum Tum Spring barn was built around 1900 and used primarily as dairy barn. Their rich Tum Tum Springs Butter was well known in Southwest Washington. Age and heavy use by the Lawffer Family had taken its toll on the 120+year old barn. Rotten posts and sills, and inadequate footings had left the side walls of the barn dangerously slopping outward. Using funds from our Heritage Barn Rehabilitation Grant program, the Lawffers gave the Tum Tum Springs Dairy a new lease on life. The project included a completely new foundation, new stem walls were added to strengthen areas of heavy use, and rotten beams were replaced in-kind. Once the building was square and true, new board-and-batten siding was custom milled to match the existing siding. Congratulations to the Lawffer Family for a job well done and for demonstrating the importance of dedicated individuals to preserving Washington history.
Historic Preservation Planning – Cannon Streetcar Suburb, Spokane County
The designation of Spokane’s Cannon Streetcar Suburb Historic District in March of this year was the culmination of a seven-year collaborative grassroots effort that stands as a case study in preservation planning excellence. After outreach by the Historic Preservation Office was sidelined by Covid, a cohort of neighbors stepped up to advocate for the district. The Historic District Sub-committee is honored for their hard work in making the historic district a reality. Steve Blaska, Ian White, Nick Reynolds, Roger Takiguchi, Melissa Flynn, Abil Bradshaw, Judy Madden, Wai Landry and Dustin Hall used grant funding from the Spokane Preservation Advocates and their own money to create yards signs and door hangers. They completed mailings to district property owners and created a "Friends of Cannon Streetcar Suburb Historic District" Facebook page. They knocked on doors, staffed an information booth at the annual block party and hosted informational open houses. Their dedication met with a successful vote among neighborhood residents and unanimous approval of the district by City Council. Their perseverance and ultimate success are an inspiration to all of us who treasure and work to preserve Washington’s historic places.
Outstanding Rehabilitation – Valerie Sivinski Award | Beverly Bridge, Grant County
Washington State Parks, the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation and ExcelTech Consulting are honored for the Beverly Bridge rehabilitation, a project that embodies the power of community partnerships at their finest. The former railroad bridge was constructed in 1909 to connect Milwaukee Road’s transcontinental route from Chicago to Puget Sound, traversing one of the most challenging crossings of the Columbia River. This feat of engineering fell into disrepair after the bankrupt railroad company abandoned the line in 1980. Damage from a 2014 wildfire landed the bridge on the Washington Trust’s most endangered places list in 2017. Through advocacy and support from organizations invested in this region’s historic preservation, recreation, and revitalization, the Beverly Bridge was repurposed as a trail for hikers, cyclists, and equestrians. Advocates for the project include the John Wayne Pioneer Wagons and Riders, Friends of the Kittitas Depot, City of Kittitas, Kittitas County Public Utility District, Palouse to Cascades Trail Coalition, Cascade Rail Foundation, and Rails to Trails Conservancy. The cost-effective rehabilitation plan preserved the grand appearance of the historic structure with minimal site disturbance resulting in a critical investment in Washington State tourism that will continue to enrich the lives of Washingtonians.
Outstanding Rehabilitation – Valerie Sivinski Award | Lincoln Hotel, Lincoln County
Karen and Jerry Allen are recognized for their tireless dedication and community-revitalizing devotion to the rehabilitation of the Lincoln Hotel. Opened in 1902, the hotel was built by local ranchers and farmers in the heart of Lincoln County, one of the largest wheat producing counties in the nation. This beautiful hotel was at the cornerstone to development in the town of Harrington. It housed working people as well as travelers and visiting dignitaries. This hotel was innovative in that it had a pressurized water system and was provisioned with electricity before electricity was available in the town; and each room was heated with a coal stove. Since 2009 the hotel has seen ongoing restoration by Karen and Jerry along with help from community members, family, and friends. Just this year, the building welcomed its first businesses, and will soon open again to travelers.
Outstanding Rehabilitation – Valerie Sivinski Award | Tokeland Hotel, Pacific County
Heather Earnhardt and Zac Young are recognized for their thoughtful rehabilitation and innovative commitment to the future of the Tokeland Hotel, the oldest continuously operating hotel in Washington State. In 1885 Elizabeth and William Kindred built the hotel as a home and haven for travelers, adding wings onto the building in 1899 and 1910, resulting in its current C shaped footprint. The Kindred’s developed a golf course, dairy, oyster farm and post office. Its development spurred by the Willapa Bay timber industry in the late 1800s, Tokeland became famous for its fresh seafood. Vacationers from Seattle and Portland traveled by train to South Bend, then by steamer to the Tokeland dock where William Kindred would greet them and take them by horse dawn bus to the hotel. Today, in the spirit of the Kindred’s tradition, Heather and Zac, along with their five children call Tokeland their full-time home. The Seattle transplants keep a large wild garden; and Heather, a renown chef, serves fresh, locally sourced food at their hotel restaurant, The Wandering Goose. Situated on a tiny peninsula surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and Willapa Bay, the Tokeland Hotel is a costal Washington gem and an anchor of its community.
Outstanding Sustainable Rehabilitation – Climate Pledge Arena, King County
Sometimes more is not less. We are honoring Climate Pledge Area as an inspiring preservation of Washington’s 1960s-era history and a milestone of climate action. Built in 1961 for the World’s Fair in Seattle, the massive hyperbolic paraboloid coliseum housed the exhibit “The World of Tomorrow.” Yet, as the years passed, time caught up to the building. In 2017, when faced with the decision to keep or demolish this former vision of Seattle’s future, the Seattle Center Redevelopment group working with DAHP, Historic Resources Group, and Populous Architecture and Planning, made this project viable through the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit program. While this project is by far the largest tax credit project ever completed in Washington, it is much more meaningful as an example of sustainability, because its preservation sequestered the critical amounts of carbon that would have otherwise been released from the construction of a new stadium. As its name states, Climate Pledge Area provides an image of the future we must continue to strive for.
Outstanding Career Achievement – Linda Haglund, Chelan County
Linda Haglund is a culture-builder and, over more than a decade in Main Street, has contributed almost as much to the positive culture of the Washington State Main Street Program network as she has to the culture of her own beloved Main Street community in Wenatchee, which she served as Executive Director of the Wenatchee Downtown Association from 2011 to 2022. She boldly uses words like “family” and “heart” and “cheerleader” to refer to her work. She is the first one to say “welcome”, to take someone under her wing, or to send a message out of the blue that lets you know that she sees you and appreciates you. Linda will tell you that she’s usually not the most qualified person at the table, and yet she’s moved mountains through her ability to highlight opportunities and convene the right players. She is the ultimate champion for her hometown and its beloved small businesses, property owners, and for her “Main Street family” near and far. Linda’s mix of tenacity, encouragement, and unrelenting optimism made her a critical leader in her hometown and throughout the state. Her work reflects her beliefs – that everybody has gifts they can share, and that we make a difference one person at a time.
Outstanding Career Achievement – Dennis Lewarch, Kitsap County
This award for Outstanding Career Achievement is presented to Dennis Lewarch, the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Suquamish Tribe in Kitsap County. Dennis has played a key role in the public advocacy, education, and protection of a wide range of archaeological, historic, and Native American traditional places in Washington. Dennis has been involved in Washington archaeology for the past 45 years, as a professional archaeologist associated with the University of Washington, a private consulting archaeologist in Western Washington and the Pacific Northwest, and for the past sixteen years the Suquamish Tribes’ Historic Preservation Officer. Dennis’s dedication and attention to detail has strengthened the protection of cultural resources. Dennis is a devoted and thoughtful voice in protecting and assuring the consideration of archaeological and cultural values. It is with great pleasure and gratitude that we acknowledge Dennis for his enduring commitment to protection, education, and greater sensitivity for Washington’s cultural heritage.
Outstanding Lifetime Achievement – Dr. Dorothy Laigo Cordova, King County
Dr. Dorothy Laigo Cordova, or “Auntie Dorothy” as she is affectionately known, is honored for her outstanding lifelong contribution to the preservation of Filipino American history. At 91-years-old, Dorothy has been the volunteer Executive Director of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS), since she founded the non-profit organization in 1982. Ten years later, FANHS introduced the resolution for the nationwide observance of October as Filipino American History Month. Today, there are 42 FANHS Chapters across the country, a FANHS National Museum in Stockton, California, and the FANHS National Office and National Pinoy Archives in Seattle, which holds one of the largest collections of Filipino American history in the world. All of this has been done by volunteers, a testament to Auntie Dorothy’s selfless leadership and infectious passion. Although she announced her intention to retire from FANHS in 2024, to transition to “Resident Researcher”, Auntie Dorothy can still be found at the FANHS National Office every day, answering phone calls and email inquiries, giving interviews, hosting students, sharing photographs and documenting the layered history of Filipino Americans.
Outstanding Lifetime Achievement – Chester Cayou Jr., Skagit County
Chester Cayou Jr, (Pa-ya-hux-ton) was a revered Swinomish tribal elder and spiritual leader who passed away last spring. Chester was a medicine man and long-term Senator for Swinomish. As lead advisor to the smokehouse for many years, Chester maintained the living cultural resources and spirituality of the tribe, bringing in dozens of new initiates into the smokehouse societies, growing and maintaining the practice and preventing it from being watered down. He also worked to revitalize the long house tradition at Muckleshoot and assisted with much spiritual work later in life at Puyallup. Through this work and leadership, Chester kept the ancient practices alive. Chester was a legend, truly a mountain of a man. We are honored to present this posthumous award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement to the family of Chester Cayou, Jr.
Special Achievement – Padraic Slattery, King County
Padraic Slattery is recognized for his thoughtful rehabilitation of midcentury buildings. Many projects in Padraic’s portfolio cater to historically underserved communities, including multi-family housing rehabilitation in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood; and the adaptive reuse of a 1944 bank building-turned-adult-entertainment-store in White Center into the Lumberyard Bar, an all-inclusive LGBTQ bar and restaurant, hosting anti-displacement events organized by the White Center Community Development Association. Other multi-family rehabilitation projects include the Palm Court in Ballard; the Hurricane Building in West Seattle, and the Yacht Club, a 1954 apartment complex adjacent to the South Park Marina. The building had been a hub for criminal activity for decades and was in tear-down condition when Padraic acquired it. The project served as a catalyst to revitalize the neighborhood as a safe community. Padraic’s most recent multi-family project is the Riverside Lodge, a classic Marblecrete-clad apartment building that was rehabilitated to boutique-hotel-quality standards. The effort included exposing the concealed balconies along Cloverdale Street, installing landscaping featuring local driftwood and vintage canoes, and a studs-out renovation of the apartment units. While the project provided the South Park workforce with rental rates below 60% of the Area Median Income, the finish and quality of the property far exceed those of conventional affordable housing. We are honored to celebrate the ongoing work of Padraic Slattery, whose projects demonstrate the intersecting interests of historic preservation and providing affordable housing that inspires a sense of place and community among residents and neighbors.
Special Achievement – North Port Historical Society, Stevens County
Built in 1901, this unique Dutch Colonial Revival home stood vacant on a primary corner of Northport for over 5 years until volunteers with the Northport Historical Society stepped up to save it from the wrecking ball. With a vision to turn the building into a Welcome Center, museum and artisan gallery for the community, the society tackled the project head on with a strong preservation plan and a goal to raise $250,000. The project included the purchase of the house and land, as well as a full rehabilitation of the building and its surrounding grounds. Local donations were supplemented by a Capital Heritage Grant from the Washington State Historical Society for $74,500 as well as over 2,500 volunteer hours. Unique to the project, and an example for other like projects to follow, was the volunteer efforts by the Washington State National Guard. Engineering Company #176, based out of Snohomish, brought skilled labor to the site over several visits. The Guard replaced the roof, installed new electrical systems, insulated the house, completed the kitchen and bathrooms, repaired siding and built the rear deck - complete with an ADA ramp. Billeted in a nearby school, local business provided food for the troops and off-hour activities for the group such as fishing, hiking and boating.
