Historic Preservation Commission

TUMWATER HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING July 20, 2023 Page 1 CONVENE: 6:30 p.m. PRESENT: Chair David Shipley and Commissioners Alex Rossiter, Renee Radcliff Sinclair, and Marnie Slakey. Absent: Commissioners Don Trosper and Dave Nicandri. Staff: Parks and Recreation Director Chuck Denney and Parks and Facilities Manager Stan Osborn. CHANGES TO Chair Shipley reported on one addition to the agenda. AGENDA: APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JUNE 15, 2023: MOTION: Commissioner Slakey moved, seconded by Commissioner Rossiter, to approve the minutes of June 15, 2023 as presented. A voice vote approved the motion unanimously. PUBLIC There were no public comments. COMMENT: UPDATE ON Karen Johnson, Schmidt House Curator, Olympia Tumwater IMPROVEMENTS Foundation, provided information on the completion of improvements AND ADDITIONS to the Schmidt House. TO THE SCHMIDT HOUSE: The Commission previously approved a Certificate of Appropriateness for some improvements and additions to the Schmidt House. The Olympia Tumwater Foundation received a heritage capital grant from the state of $117,000 with a required 2:1 match. Project areas involved interior rehabilitation of the basement where archives are stored, addition of an exterior wheelchair lift, addition of an ADA restroom in the detached garage, and upgrades to building systems. Ms. Johnson shared “before” and “after” photographs of the project. Exterior foundation walls of the house have been leaking for many years with water seeping from the porch and windows into the basement. The work included cleaning and sealing foundation walls, repainting of basement walls, and addition of climate-controlled spaces, lighting, and electrical outlets. Abandoned plumbing lines in the basement were removed and replaced with overhead water pipes. A small closet was improved with the addition of shelving. The Foundation uses the space as its art storage room for framed photographs, paintings from the Schmidt family dating to the 1600s, and other pieces of art. TUMWATER HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING July 20, 2023 Page 2 An ADA wheelchair was installed at the corner of the front porch. A new ADA-width sidewalk was also added to provide access to the wheelchair lift. Existing evergreen shrubs were replaced with lower- height shrubs. The wheelchair lift was certified by the state. The basement, second floor, and third floor of the house remain inaccessible to individuals with mobility issues. To accommodate for the height difference of the porch floor with the interior first floor, the contractor installed a rubberized floor mat manufactured at a specific height to accommodate the difference in height between the two floor areas. To ensure wheelchairs did not slide off the porch, the architect installed a low-height curb along the perimeter of the porch painted to match the house trim. A major undertaking was installing an ADA restroom. The restroom was installed in the garage area. Restroom windows were designed to mimic the three windows on the third floor of the house. A sign was installed by the entry door of the restroom; however, the Foundation plans to add directional signs from the house to the restroom. Of the building system upgrades, most of the improvements included the lighting systems with replacement of inappropriate light fixtures on the first floor in rooms with public access and the addition of low- profile art lighting along the walls of rooms for artwork of framed vintage photographs. New chandeliers were added to the dining room, front room, and entry hall. Ms. Johnson reported the Foundation expended approximately $350,000 on the entire project with $117,000 from the grant. The improvements did not include audio/visual upgrades or fire suppression in the basement because of cost. All contractors working on the project were respectful of the house and its legacy. She invited Commissioners to contact her for a tour of the house. Director Denney conveyed appreciation to Ms. Johnson for sharing information on the project. He noted that the City has contracted with the Foundation to provide historical programs and events. Ms. Johnson said she has also been working with the Tree Board on research for the Board’s legacy tree project. It is likely the large magnolia tree in front yard of the Schmidt House will be nominated as a heritage tree. BREWMASTER’S Manager Osborn reported on recent vandalism to the Crosby House HOUSE REPAIRS: involving a homeless individual who threw a large rock through a large window in the rear of the house near the kitchen. The individual did not enter the house. The window has been since boarded. Heritage Restoration inspected the window and was able to save the window to TUMWATER HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING July 20, 2023 Page 3 include replacement of some wood around the jam. The company is matching the window to mimic the older style of the previous window. Manager Osborn updated the Commission on the status of repairs to the Brewmaster’s House following the recent arson fire. The City completed the service contract with Heritage Restoration to assess the damage and provide recommendations on the work necessary to repair the house. All interior contents of the house were removed. Some of the contents that were essentially destroyed have been discarded and other contents were stored to help eliminate the smell of smoke. Pending action is the Commission’s recommendation for moving forward on wallpaper choices to enable staff to secure cost estimates. Chair Shipley asked how the smell of smoke was rectified. Manager Osborn advised that the contractor initially cleaned all surfaces to the extent possible. For those areas that could not be accessed, the contractor sealed the areas using a product that eliminates the smell of smoke. The product is an organic compound manufactured using insects as an ingredient. The product seals any remaining smoke in rafters and in wood. The product is the consistency of milk and is amazingly effective. The product is sprayed on objects. Any remaining smell from fire is attributed to the lack of completing the repairs to the building to reframe some affected areas, resealing drywall, and wallpapering and painting. The entire repairs will seal any remaining smoke smell. Manager Osborn thanked the Commission for working with staff to render some decisions on the house. Some of the information shared during the Commission’s tour of the house was incorrect necessitating clarification from a wallpaper supplier. The company researched the historical home to help identify needed repairs. Based on the research, only well-to-do owners would have wallpapered ceilings using the same wallpaper on walls. The information as conveyed to him initially was different. The company provided additional information in several letters. Not all ceilings were originally wallpapered with some ceilings installed with backing paper or plastered. Wallpaper is currently available mimicking plaster. Manager Osborn said he is seeking authority to enable him and Director Denney to make any necessary decisions prior to the next meeting. He shared letters from the wallpaper supplier from Tacoma. The supplier recommends plastering many of the ceilings in white. Commissioner Slakey noted that plastering would likely be the best option in terms of long-term maintenance. Manager Osborn agreed. He added that the option would be less costly and is aesthetically pleasing. He shared some wallpaper samples and identified the rooms for TUMWATER HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING July 20, 2023 Page 4 wallpapering, as well as some ceiling options that mimic plaster, which would be more expensive. Chair Shipley recommended agreeing on the ceiling option. Manager Osborn clarified that some of the prior direction is not possible. For example some minor changes in wallpaper color or design might be necessary as the supplier lacks sufficient stock to complete the dining room ceiling and walls. The supplier provided samples of similar wallpaper that would be appropriate. Staff recommends plastering ceilings in the first floor office and bathroom and all rooms in the upper story except for one bedroom. MOTION: Commissioner Slakey moved, seconded by Commissioner Sinclair, to approve plastering ceilings of the first floor office and the bathroom, and in the rooms on the upper story except for one of the two bedrooms with the Commission to determine the bedroom to wallpaper. The motion carried unanimously. Manager Osborn shared different samples of wallpaper for the kitchen ceiling. He requested authority for flexibility in the wallpaper color based on the Commission’s previous selection of wallpaper for kitchen walls. Manager Osborn shared wallpaper samples previously selected for the entry and the living room and requested approval for flexibility on the final selection. New wallpaper for the dining room is necessary for consideration. He shared four samples of dining room wallpaper. Dining room wallpaper will cover only the top four to five feet of wall space with wallpaper or plaster for the ceiling. He suggested using the same ceiling choice for the entry in the dining room and selecting wallpaper that does not clash with the living room ceiling. Commissioners reviewed the four wallpaper samples. Staff was afforded flexibility on the stamped ceiling wallpaper in the kitchen, entrance, and living room for compatibility with gray wallpaper. The Commission recommended the #2 wallpaper sample for the dining room and #19 sample wallpaper for the dining room ceiling. Manager Osborn reviewed wallpaper samples for the upper story rooms. All ceilings except for one bedroom would have plaster ceilings. He cited the prior selection of wallpaper of a room located north of the turret room. MOTION: Commissioner Slakey moved, seconded by Commissioner Sinclair, to approve design changes to the Brewmaster’s House for the following: TUMWATER HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING July 20, 2023 Page 5 1. For the first floor, staff has flexibility for the selection of stamped wallpaper for the ceiling in the kitchen. 2. Staff has flexibility for the selection of the ceiling wallpaper in the entrance and dining room to be compatible with previously selected gray wallpaper. 3. Selection of #2 wallpaper for the dining room. 4. Selection of #19 wallpaper for the dining room ceiling. MOTION; The motion carried unanimously. MOTION: Commissioner Slakey moved, seconded by Commissioner Sinclair, to approve the following design changes: 1. All ceilings in the upper story will be plaster except for the northwest bedroom (#9). 2. The southwest bedroom (#8) with the bird wallpaper will have a plaster ceiling. MOTION: The motion carried unanimously. MOTION: Commissioner Slakey moved, seconded by Commissioner Rossiter, to afford some flexibility to staff for decision-making to adjust any final decisions in the design for compatibility with colors and materials. Commissioner Slakey asked about the timing for completion of wallpapering. Manager Osborn advised that the original date of completion projected at the end of October would likely not be achieved for several reasons. Commissioner Slakey recommended scheduling a Commission meeting at the Brewmaster’s House after all repairs are completed. ADJOURNMENT: Commissioner Slakey moved, seconded by Commissioner Rossiter, to adjourn the meeting at 7:33 p.m. A voice vote approved the motion unanimously. Prepared by Valerie L. Gow, Recording Secretary/President Puget Sound Meeting Services, psmsoly@earthlink.net