I recently read the [column] by Kirby Lindsay in the North Seattle Herald-Outlook, and I could not repress my desire to comment.
The nomination for landmark status of the Fitch-Nutt house in Fremont is a bold move and one that deserves attention. Seattle, a city that supposedly supports historic preservation, has written a set of requirements that makes the preservation of privately owned properties all but impossible. And our developers are all too aware of this.
For example, from the Designation Standards for Seattle Landmarks, "In addition to meeting at least one of the designation standards, the building, object or site must also possess integrity and the ability to convey its significance." Or you may translate that last part as "if you have changed it in any way or have let it fall into disrepair we may be disinclined to designate it as a landmark."
Essentially, our Landmarks Preservation Board has left the door wide open for developers to demolish properties at their discretion. Which leaves me asking: Does our preservation board really care about architectural preservation? And what responsibilities toward community preservation are expected of property owners?
In Kirby's [column], I read, "According to Kirk [Gronvold], Ken bought the building on Phinney [Avenue North] 30 or more years ago and continued to rent it out. Now they have plans to build a three-phase development there, creating nine housing units." So, the Gronvold family has owned the Fitch-Nutt house at 4401 Phinney Ave. N. for 30 -plus years, but Kirk also declares it as a "dump." Hmmm.
So if he has owned the house for 30 years and it is a "dump," then it seems that the Gronvold family is the responsible party for the condition of the house. Does this not seem logical? Perhaps they had no intention of ever keeping this precious house in good condition because they had visions of demolishing it some day. The intentional negligence is an all-too-convenient excuse for demolition.
I have seen the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, and those scrolls are in pretty bad shape. But did we throw them in the garbage? And the remnants of the Titanic? Lots of water damage there. Perhaps we should just trash those, too? Or the first U.S flag? [Its] integrity is thinning, but we continue to preserve [it].
So my point is: Why are houses held to such a higher standard with regard to preservation? Houses tell us so much about our personal history, our economic history, our geographic history and so much more.
Yet we carelessly bulldoze them over with excuses such as "they were changed over the years" or "the condition was poor" or "keeping the house didn't "pencil out."
Seattle, it's time we started looking at what is important to this city beyond how much money can be put into the hands of the few.
Seattle is a city built from pioneering, working-class families. Let us not bury their heritage.
Maris Sovold
Phinney Ridge
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