Title
PUBLIC HEARING & DETERMINATION 2: Nomination of the Elizabeth P. & Ralph B. Lee House (118 19th Ave SW) for Individual Listing on the Olympia Heritage Register (#17-4541)
Recommended Action
Move to list the Elizabeth P. & Ralph B. Lee House at 118 19th Ave SW individually on the Olympia Heritage Register under the following criterion/criteria: [specify].
Report
Issue:
Whether to list the property 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: Dana Braswell Doss, Owner & Applicant
Background and Analysis:
The City of Olympia has received an application from owner Dana Braswell Doss to place her residence at 118 19th Avenue Southwest on the Olympia Heritage Register (Register). The historical name proposed for this property is “Elizabeth P. & Ralph B. Lee House.” Application materials and additional information are provided in Attachments 1, 2, and 3. Note that the building is currently a designated “Non Contributing” property in the South Capitol Neighborhood Historic District (Attachment 4).
The Heritage Review Committee conducted a site visit at an open public meeting on January 11, 2018 to begin the formal assessment of the application (Attachment 5). Based on this visual inspection, the Committee recommended that the property meets the condition and integrity requirements outlined in Olympia Municipal Code 18.12.080 (Attachment 6).
Tonight the Heritage Commission will hold a public hearing and make a determination on whether to list the property individually on the Olympia Heritage Register. The Commission will use the designation criteria in OMC 18.12.080 to make this decision.
Analysis of the Proposal
Following a review of the application, additional documentation, and the 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 it was constructed sometime between 1908 and 1924;
3. The integrity requirement since, as determined by the Heritage Review Committee on January 11, 2018, it meets all five (5) elements of integrity, which is above and beyond the two (2) required by code. These are integrity of location, design, setting, materials, and workmanship;
4. The condition requirement since, as noted during the January 11, 2018 Heritage Review Committee meeting, the property has been maintained in excellent condition; and
5. The category requirement, since historical documentation and visual inspection indicates that the property may satisfy at a minimum the following categories as outlined in OMC 18.12.080:
B. Embodies the distinctive architectural characteristics of an early twentieth-century English Gambrel house.
D. Reflects the significance of a suburban residence for well-connected woman engaged in social and civic affairs of Olympia.
E. Is significantly connected with the life of Elizabeth P. Lee, whose community activities - including leadership in the local Girl Scouts and Thurston County Red Cross World War II efforts - featured prominently in the society pages of the Olympian newspaper for decades.
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 they believe best reflect(s) the property’s significance to Olympia.
Attachments:
1. Application
2. Current Photos
3. Additional Historical Research
4. District Designation
5. Heritage Review Committee Meeting Minutes
6. OMC 18.12.080