Title
Briefing - 2017 Downtown Olympia Reconnaissance Survey
Recommended Action
Information only. No action requested.
Report
Issue:
Briefing on past work to facilitate planning of next steps for downtown preservation efforts.
Staff Contact:
Marygrace Goddu, Historic Preservation Officer, Community Planning & Development, 360.480.0923
Presenter(s):
Marygrace Goddu, Historic Preservation Officer
Background and Analysis:
In 2017, the City of Olympia commissioned a Reconnaissance Level Architectural History Survey of Downtown Olympia. The survey was completed by Artifacts Consulting in December 2017.
The purpose of the survey was to support city planning work especially the Downtown Strategy, which was underway at the time, and to provide baseline information to support thoughtful decisions on managing change in historic Downtown.
The reconnaissance-level survey:
* Assessed properties based upon their attributes that are visible from the public right-of-way. Historic research on individual properties was not conducted.
* Included all properties within the boundaries of the NRHP historic district as well as additional surrounding blocks, especially to the east and south.
* Completed or updated basic documentation for each property built prior to 1973, in the form of historic property inventory forms and exterior photographs.
* Made preliminary identification of potential new landmark candidates, either as stand-alones and/or as clusters or districts.
* Properties were only evaluated under Criterion C, for their architecture/ design. More in-depth future research could yield additional eligible properties based on other criteria (A - historical contribution, B - association with significant people, or D - precontact significance ).
The Survey provides foundational support for Commission consideration of strategies and options to expand the existing national register district or consider designating a new local historic district(s).
Neighborhood/Co...
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