PORT TOWNSEND — It isn’t every year that the Jefferson County Historical Society presents a Mary P. Johnson Award.
On Sunday, it will give two.
Mary P. Johnson Awards, named for a prominent preservation advocate, will be presented to the city of Port Townsend for the restoration of the Bartlett-Cotton Building at 607 Water St. and to Pat and Frank Durbin for the restoration of the O’Rear House, 1932 Washington St.
Historic preservation awards will be given during the society’s annual Founders’ Day celebration in the historic Port Townsend City Council chamber, 540 Water St., at 1 p.m.
The annual event, which also serves as the yearly membership meeting for the society, is free and open to the public.
Attendees will learn about upcoming historical society projects, including a major expansion of the Research Center, a $1.5 million project begun in February.
The expanded facility at 13694 Airport Cutoff Road will house all of the society’s collections at one site.
Preservation awards
The society annually presents historic preservation awards to people who helped preserve local history, projects that document history and architectural restoration projects.
“Our highest honor is named for preservation advocate Mary P. Johnson, and it is not presented every year,” said society President Lynne Sterling, adding that she was thrilled that two would be given this year.
To qualify, a restoration project must follow the exacting requirements of the Secretary of Interior Standards for Historic Rehabilitation.
The restored Bartlett-Cotton Building will be dedicated in a city of Port Townsend ceremony at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The building, constructed in 1888, once was called “the most popular resort in the city,” the historical society said.
It housed a saloon, wine parlor, clubroom and a cigar store with newspapers.
Most recently, it served as the headquarters for the Port Townsend Police Department.
On its new incarnation, it will be a visitor center. In addition to restoration, the city gave the historic building a seismic retrofit and cleaned up underground storage tanks.
The O’Rear House, built in 1891, is a Victorian example of adaptive use.
It was restored between 2001 and 2010 and won a state Historic Preservation Award in 2004.
Other awards
Other awards will be presented to:
■ Louise Frombach, who voluntarily maintains historic grave sites in local cemeteries.
■ Eileen Martin for documentation of every cemetery in Jefferson County — a project of the Jefferson County Genealogical Society.
■ Patrick Sullivan for ongoing documentation of local history in the weekly Port Townsend and Jefferson County Leader.
■ Fort Worden Oral History Program for preserving the stories of the men and women who have lived and worked at the fort during its history.
■ Storyline Studio and Sadis Filmworks for creating the Theater Gallery at the Jefferson County Museum.
Nominations for the society’s historic preservation awards are solicited from the community ad and are reviewed by the Historic Preservation Awards Committee.
“We were very pleased by the quality and variety of nominations this year,” said Bill Tennent, society executive director.
Following the award presentation, desserts from the newly published Rothschild House Dessert Cookbook will be served in the newly restored Bartlett-Cotton Building.
The cookbook features the favorite recipes of the Rothschild family and have been tested by society volunteers.
For reservations, phone 360-385-1003.
