Title
PUBLIC HEARING & DETERMINATION: Nomination of Historical Downtown Square/Thorp Motors (222 Capitol Way N) for Listing on the Olympia Heritage Register (#17-0319)
Recommended Action
Move to list Thorp Motors of 222 Capitol Way N on the Olympia Heritage Register under the following criterion/criteria: [specify].
Report
Issue:
Whether the submitted application, other supporting materials, and Heritage Review Committee recommendation indicate that the property meets the requirements of OMC 18.12.080 for listing on the Olympia Heritage Register
Staff Contact:
Michelle Sadlier, Historic Preservation Officer, Community Planning & Development, 360.753.8031
Presenter(s):
Michelle Sadlier, Historic Preservation Officer
Invited: Gray & Joy Graham, Property Owners & Applicants
Background and Analysis:
The City of Olympia has received an application to place 222 Capitol Way North on the Olympia Heritage Register (Attachment 1). The applicants are Gray and Joy Graham, the owners of the building. Additional historical research conducted by the City’s Historic Preservation Officer is provided in Attachment 2.
The standards for review of proposals for listing on the Register are provided under OMC 18.12.080 (Attachment 3). The Heritage Review Committee conducted the preliminary on-site review of the property’s overall condition (whether it is well maintained) and integrity (whether it retains its physical, historical character or has changed significantly) at an open public meeting on March 27, 2017.
The Committee determined that the property meets the condition requirement and exceeds the integrity requirement because it possesses integrity of location, design, and setting, and recommended the application for review by the full Heritage Commission (Attachment 4).
Tonight the Heritage Commission will hold a public hearing on the application. Based on public testimony and the information provided in this meeting packet, the Commission will make a determination on whether to list the property on the Register using the criteria in OMC 18.12.080 to make this decision.
Staff Analysis of the Proposal
Following a review of the application, documentation, and relevant municipal code, City staff suggests that the property appears to meet:
1. The general requirement that the building have significant character, interest or value as part of the development, heritage or cultural characteristics of the city, as determined by the other requirements below;
2. The age eligibility requirement of being at least fifty (50) years old, since all documentation indicates that the building was constructed in 1946-1947 (making it 70-71 years old);
3. The integrity requirement since, as recommended by the Heritage Review Committee on March 27, 2017, it meets three (3) elements of integrity rather than just the two (2) required by code. These are integrity of location, design, and setting.
4. The condition requirement since, as noted during the March 27, 2017 Heritage Review Committee meeting, the property has been recently rehabilitated and is in excellent condition.
5. The category requirement, since historical documentation indicates that the property may satisfy at a minimum the following categories, as outlined in OMC 18.12.080:
A. Is significantly or substantially a part of or connected with events that have made a significant contribution of the broad patterns of state and local history as:
• The site of some of the earliest buildings in Olympia after its initial plat in 1850, which were known to have provided lodging, general merchandise and civic meeting space. First meetings of note are the Washington Territorial government (1854) and Masons Olympia Lodge No. 1 (1852).
• The home of Frank K. Thorp Motors, part of the auto services industry that developed along Highway 99 in Downtown Olympia.
B. Embodies the distinctive architectural characteristics of the Art Moderne style, including the concrete construction with smooth surface and simple, reed detailing, the large, horizontal expanses of unornamented fenestration openings, and the prominent, curved corner.
Staff Recommendation
As a result of the above analysis, staff recommends that the Heritage Commission approve the proposed designation under the criteria category or categories that members believe best reflect(s) the property’s significance as outlined in this meeting packet.
Attachments:
1. Application
2. Additional Historical Research & Photos
3. OMC 18.12.080
4. Heritage Review Committee Meeting Minutes