PORT ANGELES — A $500 grant has been awarded for the restoration of the parapet at the Old Fire Hall on Lincoln Street.
It’s a small grant, but city and county officials hope that it is only the beginning in the historical restoration of the art deco building at 215 S. Lincoln St. that served as the city’s first permanent fire station, jail and City Council chambers.
The building, constructed in 1931, is one of three buildings that is part of the Port Angeles Civic Historic District recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.
Historical district
The other two buildings are the Clallam County Courthouse and the Museum at the Carnegie, as well as the Veterans Park.
The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation announced the Valerie Sivinski Washington Preserves Fund grant awards Dec. 19.
“It is the first of several grants we’ve applied for,” said Cherie Kidd, a Port Angeles City Council member who spearheaded the drive to create the historic district that includes the old city building.
“We’re very excited that the grants are starting to come through.”
The grant went to the Clallam County.
It is specifically for design and planning for fixing the parapet, a false front above the roof, said Jim Jones, county administrator.
It remains to be seen if more money will come in for restoration, he said.
“We’re applying for several grants from different sources,” Jones said.
“Whether we get them or not” is uncertain.
“These are difficult times,” he said.
Restoration study
The city of Port Angeles paid $25,000 and Clallam County contributed $15,000 to fund a firehouse restoration study.
The building was recently retrofitted for earthquakes and is essentially structurally sound, but windows and doors should be replaced, and work is needed on the roof and the masonry walls, it was found.
Also, part of the ground behind the building is slumping and needs to be reinforced, the study said.
Reinforcing the former City Hall’s foundation and performing some minimal repairs is estimated to cost $230,000.
It’s estimated to cost another $1.05 million to restore the exterior of the building.
Veteran center
One option being considered is to relocate the Clallam County Veterans Center and various services for veterans to the building.
After city offices moved in the 1950s, the building was occupied by a number of private businesses, but the first floor has been vacant since 2006, while the upper floor had a tenant until last year.
The Valerie Sivinski Washington Preserves grants ranged from $500 to $1,500 for historic preservation projects throughout the state.
Since 1998, it has awarded 90 projects totaling nearly $80,000.
For more information, visit www.wa-trust.org or phone 206-624-9449.
