PORT TOWNSEND — The 121-year-old building that once served as Port Townsend’s high school is set for demolition, possibly as early as this fall.
Meantime, a local museum preservationist is attempting an advocacy effort for keeping the Lincoln Building intact.
The aged brick building at 450 Fir St., which was deemed unsafe for classes in 1980 and until 2012 served as Port Townsend School District administrative headquarters, has fallen into such disrepair that it is now used for storage.
The school district’s efforts to lease or refurbish the building have been unsuccessful, so the demolition planning process has begun.
The building is now considered one of 11 of the most endangered properties statewide as designated by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.
“I will be heartbroken if we have to demolish that building,” said Superintendent David Engle in a video posted by the trust.
“But we are at the point of no return where I’m going to take resources away from classrooms to prop up an edifice that nobody wants to take over and repurpose.”
Since moving its administrative offices across the street, the school district has sought to rehabilitate the 30,000-square-foot building by soliciting tenants in 2014 who would finance the face-lift — which could cost as much as $10 million — with a $1 yearly long-term lease, but there were no takers, district Facilities Director Brad Taylor said.
The district was attempting to solicit companies like Google or Microsoft, but the building’s use was limited because school property cannot be used as a bar or restaurant where liquor is served.
The district has applied for a demolition permit and plans to hire a consultant to determine the cost, Taylor said.
Meanwhile, Jefferson County Historical Society archivist Marsha Moratti, who also is a member of the city Historic Preservation Committee, said the school district and the city haven’t worked hard enough to find alternatives to demolition.
“It’s a historical landmark, and it’s a value of our community to preserve buildings whenever we can,” Moratti said.
“This is happening very quickly, and there needs to be a discussion about alternatives.”
Moratti doesn’t have a plan about what can be done with the Lincoln Building or how the funds can be raised, but she said she thinks the city and the school district could address the problem in the same way it created a public development authority that transformed Fort Worden State Park.
“The original charter of the [authority] was to save historic buildings like the post office,” Moratti said.
“We should go back and revisit the [authority’s] original charter.”
Moratti is trying to generate interest in saving the building before the demolition process starts.
“Right now, I’m just getting the word out,” she said.
“We don’t want a situation where there are demonstrations and people are chaining themselves to the door or standing in front of a wrecking ball.”
Taylor said the building is a safety hazard; kids are breaking into it and climbing on the roof.
“It’s very unsafe and is a liability,” Taylor said.
“It gets broken into quite a bit. You can’t really secure it.”
Lance Bailey, the city’s director of community services, said the school district has submitted a State Environmental Policy Act application to determine the environmental impact of the demolition.
If the SEPA report is completed and a consultant is hired, the demolition could begin as early as September, Taylor said.
He said he does not know how long the project would take or what it would cost.
Taylor said the contents of the building need consideration, as the bricks can be reused and items like slate chalkboards have an undetermined value.
If demolition occurs, there are no plans to construct another building on the same site, he said.
Rather, it could be a park, a monument or an amphitheater.
For a history of the building and Moratti’s email contact link, go to http://tinyurl.com/PDN-rehab.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
