Washington Trust offers historic preservation grants

The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation has announced that grant applications for the 2014 Valerie Sivinski Washington Preserves Fund are being accepted.

Established in 1997, the program has awarded grants to 99 projects totaling nearly $90,000 in funding to local historic preservation organizations and advocates engaged in preserving Washington’s cultural heritage.

Past Tacoma and Pierce County recipients have included:

Broadway Center for the Performing Arts (Tacoma | 2013) – $1,150 in emergency funding to repair a leak near the main lobby entry of the Pantages Theater;
Ezra Meeker Historical Society (Puyallup | 2013) – $1,500 to patch, fill, replace and seal the westside window bay in preparation for painting at the Meeker Mansion;
Points Northeast Historical Society (Browns Point | 2013) – $1,000 for abatement of asbestos and lead paint at the Browns Point Light Station Buildings;
South Pierce County Historical Society (Eatonville | 2013) – $650 for rehabilitation and stabilization work to the main entry wall of the historic Van Eaton Cabin;
Steilacoom Historical Museum Association (Steilacoom | 2013) – $1,500 to address needed repairs to the banister on the main stairway at the 1857 Nathaniel Orr Home;
Historic Fort Steilacoom Association (Lakewood | 2012) – $500 to paint the exteriors of four 1850s buildings, which served as officer’s quarters at the historic fort;
University Place Historical Society (University Place | 2012) – $1,000 to help restore the decks onthe mid-century modern Curran House;
Ezra Meeker Historical Society (Puyallup | 2011) – $2,000 to help rehabilitate dining room windowsat the National Register-listed Meeker Mansion;
Fort Nisqually Foundation (Tacoma | 2011) – $500 to develop architectural drawings for the circa1850 National Historic Landmark Granary at Fort Nisqually;
Gig Harbor Boatshop (Gig Harbor | 2011) – $1,000 to repair and restore the hull of Thunderbird #2, a racing sailboat designed and manufactured in Gig Harbor;
Steilacoom Tribal Museum Association (Steilacoom | 2010) – $1,000 to help restore the roof of the historic Oberlin Church, now used as the Tribal Cultural Center;
University Place Historical Society (University Place | 2010) – $500 to restore window glass and trim on the historic Curran House;
Historic Tacoma (Tacoma | 2007) – $1,000 to assess and restore water damaged plaster and ornamental painting in the main hall of the Pythian Temple;
South Pierce County Historical Society (Eatonville | 2007) – $500 to frame and pour a new foundation for the relocation of the Eatonville Japanese Community Milk House;
Tacoma Railcar Preservation Society (Tacoma | 2007) – $1,000 to assist in repairing the wooden roof of the 1910 Northern Pacific Dining Car;
Friends of Eddon Boatworks (Gig Harbor | 2004) – $500 for public information materials for a city bond election to acquire and save Eddon Boatworks.

Additionally, the amount of funding has generally increased every year:

2013 ($10,000 awarded to nine projects);
2012 ($10,000 awarded to 11 projects);
2011 ($10,000 awarded to nine projects);
2010 ($6,500 awarded to eight projects);
2009 ($8,000 awarded to five projects);
2008 ($6,000 awarded to six projects);
2007 ($7,500 awarded to 10 projects);
2006 ($4,385 awarded to seven projects);
2005 ($6,500 awarded to nine projects);
2004 ($7,000 awarded to eight projects);
2003 ($3,250 awarded to four projects);
2002 ($3,000 awarded to three projects);
2001 ($2,000 awarded to two projects);
2000 ($1,000 awarded to one project);
1999 ($1,250 awarded to three projects);
1998 ($1,250 awarded to four projects).

While priority is given to bricks and mortar rehabilitation of historic resources, eligible projects also include hiring professional expertise for the production of as-built drawings, a historic structures report, or a feasibility study for the adaptive use of a historic resource.

“The Valerie Sivinski Washington Preserves Fund continues to help grassroots efforts succeed in saving historic places that matter,” Washington Trust for Historic Preservation Executive Director Jennifer Meisner. “Funding through this program reaches all corners of the state, positively impacting a unique and diverse array of resources.”

“The Washington Trust has always focused on providing resources and assistance to communities intent on saving their past,” said Kris Bassett, Chair of the Valerie Sivinski Washington Preserves Fund. “By providing assistance for bricks and mortar rehabilitation, the grant program helps to retain a building’s historic fabric which in turn saves an element of our state’s history.”

The next deadline for submitting grant applications is Weds., Oct. 16, 2013. Applications submitted via email must be received by 5 p.m. that day. If a hard copy is being sent via U.S. Mail, application materials must be postmarked no later than Weds., Oct. 16, 2013. All application materials are available online at preservewa.org/Washington-Preserves-Fund.aspx. For additional questions about the application and for information on donating to the Valerie Sivinski Washington Preserves Fund, please contact Cathy Wickwire at (206) 624-9449 or via email at cwickwire@preservewa.org.