Print
E-Mail
tool name
closeYou can’t tell a building by the look of its cover
Dave Eatwell / for the Puyallup Main Street Association
The Puyallup Main Street Association received notice this week that they have tentatively been awarded $22,000 by the Pierce County Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission through their 2008 Historic Preservation Grant program. The grant from Pierce County was one of 22 such grant proposals funded.
These awards have yet to receive final approval by the Pierce County Council and adoption by resolution.
After final approval, this $22,000 in funds will be combined with another $38,500 PMSA received from a Main Street Tax Credit program contribution to fund the first round of the Façade Improvement Program. In this first round, the goal is to restore the eight storefronts featured in the earlier Storefront Studio Program.
The city of Puyallup was first platted more than 100 years ago as a transportation center, taking advantage of its location on the north-south roads and amid agricultural development. Buildings are relatively small, tightly grouped around narrow streets.
The last decades of the 20th Century were not kind to downtown Puyallup. What remains is the skeleton of an old commercial district. Some of its quaint ambience, friendly atmosphere and high quality workmanship lie hidden under remodeled exteriors added during intervening years. The ultimate goal of PMSA’s Façade Improvement Program is to provide matching grants to building owners who agree to restore their commercial buildings to the original design, eventually arriving at a downtown Puyallup that captures the character of Puyallup in the 1920s.
For historic old town centers, historic preservation is a key element of revitalization. Many local business people choose to preserve their old buildings for personal reasons. But there are many valid business purposes to building preservation. Most importantly, it retains the city’s character and heart. The ultimate outcome is the recognition of the downtown area as a historic district by the National Register of Historic Places. Historic District status brings with it a list of marketing advantages for the merchants and tax advantages for the building owners.
The large, brown signs along the freeway that point to “Historic District” or “Historic Town Center” are only part of the story. Historic districts are also listed on national and state Web sites promoting heritage tourism. In traveling about the country, one will find that districts recognized by the National Register of Historic Places are thriving, vital business districts with high occupancy rates and elevated property values. This stabilizes the property and sales tax base.
Unfortunately, myths abound about the problems that National Register status visits on a building’s owner. Those horror stories are rare in reality. With very few exceptions, limitations on modifying a building befall the owner only if the owner has previously taken advantage of one or more of the many tax advantages available to owners of buildings in historic districts. In that case, modifications may be limited, or the owner must return or relinquish any tax benefits from historic status. It is possible for a building owner to opt out of participating in the historic district and to have the building deemed “non-contributing.” Of course, the building and owner would still need to meet any standards established in the city’s municipal design code.
No, you can’t always tell a building by its cover, especially if it is shrouded in T-111 siding, plywood or a veneer of faux stone. The size of the building is not always an accurate indicator, as some quaintly small old buildings can reveal marble, stained glass, indestructible brick or very high quality woodwork. But PMSA’s goal is to peel away the layers to find the heart of the community. Hopefully, by the end of next summer, eight buildings will sport new old storefronts.
So you will see the Puyallup Main Street Association develop and maintain partnerships and programs in the future that will attract visitors to our city. And we will do our best to see that the community is ready to welcome folks with the warmth that one would expect from a small town.