Title
PUBLIC HEARING & DETERMINATION 2: Nomination of the Dahlquest House (2420 Capitol Way South) for Listing on the Olympia Heritage Register (#18-3562)
Recommended Action
Move to list the Dahlquest House located at 2420 Capitol Way South on the Olympia Heritage Register because it meets the criteria to designate found in OMC 18.12.080.
Report
Issue:
Whether to list the property on the Olympia Heritage Register.
Staff Contact:
Katie Pruit, Associate Planner, Community Planning and Development, 360.570.3746
Presenter(s):
Katie Pruit, Associate Planner, Community Planning and Development, 360.570.3746
Invited: Mary Catherine Guptill, Owner and applicant
Background and Analysis:
The City of Olympia has received an application form owner Mary Catherine Guptill to place their residence at 2420 Capitol Way South on the Olympia Heritage Register. The historical name proposed for this property is “The Dahlquest House.” Application materials and additional information are provided as attachments.
The Heritage Review Committee conducted a site visit at an open public meeting on September 17, 2018 to begin the formal assessment of the application. Quorum was not met and no official business was conducted, but Commissioners present toured the property and house. An additional member toured the house at a later date. The Heritage Review Committee will meet in advance of the public hearing and provide their recommendation to the Commission on October 24, 2018.
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
The property is found to meet the designation criteria based on an analysis of application materials, a site visit, additional research by the consulting Historic Preservation Officer, and the municipal code. The property meets:
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. All document indicates it was constructed in 1921.
3. The integrity requirement because 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 that the property is well-maintained. The consulting HPO and HRC members noted the property has been maintained in excellent condition.
5. The category requirement that the property satisfy at a minimum one (1) of the following categories as outlined in OMC 18.12.080. Historical documentation and visual inspection indicate the property meets three (3) as described below.
A. Is significantly or substantially a part of or connected with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of national, state or local history.
The Dahlquest home is a contributing property in the South Capitol Neighborhood Historic District. The description in the National Register of Historic Places states: “While some of the city’s finest homes are in the district and many notable state officials lived here, the majority of the houses represent more modest homes built and lived in by the many employees of state government. The compactness of the geographical area of the district, the close relationship of the district to the development of the state capitol, and the architectural character of the homes (which represent all the important 19th and 20th century styles) distinguish the district from other areas of the city. The district is also important as a complete residential urban landscape from the early part of this century which includes parks, churches, a school, and mature street landscaping.”
B. Embodies the distinctive architectural characteristics of a type, period, style or method of design or construction, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction.
The national register nomination describes the architectural character, “Front-gable, rectangular Craftsman/Bungalow style house with wide brackets eaves and exposed rafter ends. South side square bay. Projecting porch supported by tapered posts on brick piers. Narrow clapboard cladding. Three part windows with six-over-one and nine-over-one windows. One-story rear enclosed porch with multipane windows.”
E. Is significantly or substantially a part of or connected with the lives of persons significant in national, state or local history.
The house located at 2420 Capitol Way South was built for John O. Dalquest who worked for Capitol City Creamery and whose wife (Ms. Dalquest) was a socialite covered frequently in The Morning Olympian’s Society pages. Another resident of the house was Walter L. Whiting, a former general manager of the Olympia Knitting Mills and violin teacher, he died at age 43 from a “long illness” while living in this house.
Subsequently Phil H Gallagher lived in the house from the late 1930s to the late 1940s. Mr. Gallagher graduated from Gonzaga with a law degree then went on to become the youngest state treasurer at age 30 in 1936. In 1948 he was appointed state attorney general and in 1956 elected state representative from the 33rd District.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
The property is located within the South Capitol Historic District.
Financial Impact:
Approved projects receive a bronze marker for the property paid for by the City at this time. The 2018 charge per marker is $460.00, plus sales tax and shipping and handling).
Attachments:
Application
Property Information and Photo
Statement of Significance
OMC 18.12.080