Posted: November 04, 2009 09:14:42 PST
Anyone who enjoys the historic neighborhoods of Bellingham will want to hear a presentation on three proposed new National Historic Districts in Bellingham, located in the Lettered Streets, South Hill and York neighborhoods. The presentation by Planning and Community Development staff members is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12 in the Whatcom Museum Rotunda Room.
In July 2007, the City of Bellingham received a $150,000 Preserve America Grant to survey and inventory historic resources in three of Bellingham’s older neighborhoods: Lettered Streets, South Hill and York. The project also included recommending a National Register of Historic Places District Nomination in each neighborhood.
The grant project is nearly complete, and the nominations for the Cissna Cottages Historic District in the Lettered Streets, the South Hill Historic District and the York Historic District are entering one of the final steps in the nomination process: review by the Governor’s Advisory Council for Historic Preservation at its meeting on November 5.
The project was a collaborative effort involving staff from the City’s Planning & Community Development Department, the Whatcom Museum, the Bellingham Public Library; staff from partnering agencies including the Western Washington University’s Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, the Washington State Archives, and the State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation; and most importantly, the numerous neighborhood volunteers and students who collectively donated more than 3,000 hours attending training learning to identify and describe architectural elements, completing historical research and photographing the homes and outbuildings in the three neighborhoods.
Information and photos from the survey have been entered into the State’s Historic Property Database and the City’s Geographic Information System. Project Manager Katie Franks and GIS Specialist Kate Newell will present information about the survey and inventory project and will give an overview of the three nominated National Historic Districts.
More information about the project, including the National Register District nominations, is available on the City's website at: http://www.cob.org/services/neighborhoods/historic/historic-resource-survey-inventory/index.aspx
Media Contact:
Katie Franks, Development Specialist
Planning & Community Development Department
(360) 778-8388
kfranks@cob.org
