PORT TOWNSEND — The City of Port Townsend will rehabilitate the exterior of the historic Pink House this spring and summer.
The Pink House, 1220 Lawrence Street, sits adjacent to Port Townsend Carnegie Library.
It supplements the library with a meeting space, office space, the Friends of the Library bookshop and storage, said Melody Sky Weaver, the city’s community services director.
“It’s a restoration of the exterior, which is in pretty rough shape,” Sky Weaver said. “Fixing the siding, the gutter that failed, the front porch. You can tell, because of the leaky gutter, there’s a lot of rot on the outside. It’s so important that we’re doing this project.”
The work list includes replacing front deck boards and support beams on the Lawrence Street side of the house, according to a city press release.
Also, contractors will paint the building pink, Sky Weaver said.
“It’s the blue house but it’s named after the Charles Pink family,” Sky Weaver said. “We’re hoping to paint it a Victorian pink color that’s on the historic preservation committee’s approved list of colors. People get really confused.”
The City Council authorized City Manager John Mauro to enter into contracts not to exceed $253,000 with contractors Alpha Development, as a part of council’s March 17 consent agenda.
The project is estimated to cost $228,000, according to the agenda packet.
Funds come from two pots: $188,000 from real estate excise taxes and $65,000 from Friends of the Library.
“The little room, next to the big room is where the Friends of the Library have their bookshop, where they help raise money,” Sky Weaver said. “The community read is sponsored by the Friends, summer reading, that’s all made possible through the Friends’ book sales.”
Work is expected to start in April or May, and wrap in late July or early September, according to a city press release.
Charles Pink purchased the home in 1874, according to the library’s history of the house. The house, built in 1868 by Horace Tucker, now functions as an event space for the library.
“The Pink House is just this wonderful treasure for the community,” Sky Weaver said. “Community members can have public meetings there, up to 30 people. We have classes and lectures and programs for all ages in that space. The community can book that room for free. How many places can you say have free spaces that encourage people to meet?”
Information on how to reserve the Pink House meeting room, along with criteria for using the room, can be found at https://ptpubliclibrary.org/library/page/pink-house-meeting-room.
The space will be closed during renovations and any pre-existing reservations held for April and May may be canceled, according to the website.
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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@sequimgazette.com
