Scroll down to see who to send and CC your letter to BEFORE NEXT TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2011.
Here's the Federation's letter as a sample for you:
January 28, 2011
Landmarks Preservation Board
Department of Neighborhoods
PO Box 94649
Seattle, WA 98124-4649
RE: Sand Point Naval Air Station Historic District
Dear Board Members:
The Seattle Community Council Federation, a coalition of community groups throughout the city of Seattle, supports the listing of Naval Air Station Seattle at Sand Point as a City of Seattle Landmark Historic District. NAS-Seattle has already received National Listing at the highest level of importance. The resources in the district proposed are all over 25 years old as required by City preservation laws for listing.
At our monthly meeting we were most impressed with the history of the first “Around the World Flight” and other early aviation events that occurred at Sand Point since it was our first regional airport. The pictures of the WWII development showed what a presence it was in our City at that time. NAS Seattle deserves to be under the protection of historic preservation staff and City preservation laws. It is a site and history known and appreciated by the whole city not just Northeast Seattle. Navy pilots who served at NAS Seattle even live outside the city now but remember their service time there. Its history should be remembered by our children and grandchildren too, preserved and celebrated.
Sincerely,
Rick Barrett, Vice President
1711 North 122nd Street
Seattle, Washington 98133
206-365-1267
cc: Parks and Seattle Center Committee Members
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING
OF THE LANDMARKS PRESERVATION BOARD
to consider
Landmark Nomination for the Following Property:
Sand Point Naval Air Station
7400 Sand Point Way NE
The Landmarks Preservation Board will consider this nomination at its
meeting on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 3:30 p.m. in the Seattle
Municipal Tower, 700 5th Avenue, 40th Floor, Room 4060.
The public is invited to attend the meeting and make comments. Written comments should be received by the Landmarks Preservation Board at the following address by Tuesday, February 1, 2011, by 5:00 p.m.:
Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board, Dept. of Neighborhoods, P.O.
Box 94649, Seattle WA 98124-4649.
Copies of the Landmark Nomination will be available for public review at the Department of Neighborhoods Office, at Seattle Municipal Tower, 700 5th Ave, Suite 1700, telephone: 684-0228. The nomination is also posted on the Department of Neighborhoods website:
under the heading of “Current Nominations.”
From Lynn Ferguson, Friends of NAS-Seattle Historic District www.sandptnavsta.org;lynnferguson65@comcast.net 206-523-0391:
I urge you to send a short letter of support before Tuesday, February 1. It's really important. We have waited a long time for this. With your help it may happen. Lynn
Sand Point Naval Air Station Needs Your Help
As Sand Point Naval Air Station grew, so did NE Seattle. After WWI the need for an airfield close to Seattle was recognized when visiting dignitaries had to land on Jefferson Park Municipal Golf Course. Both the Army and Navy saw the military use of aviation and Sand Point was chosen as the site of the first municipal airport. At the time it was outside the city limits but close to Seattle and ship building Bremerton. A small county grass airport was the take off and landing of the historic Round-the-World Flight of 1924. The Navy was given the land for a Naval Air Station in 1926 and much work was done to improve buildings and landing strips with WPA funds in the 1930’s. It was the first Naval Air Station established in the Thirteenth Naval District, the Northwest states, prior to WWII and was one of only four when WWII began. Pearl Harbor was one but when it was bombed on Dec. 7th, 1941 NAS Seattle became the center for staging for the Pacific theatre. At one time up to 7500 people lived or worked on the base. Active also for training during the Korean War, the base was gradually less active as jets required longer runways than biplanes and the city had grown around it. When it was deactivated in 1996, the buildings were given to the city, UW and Department of Housing.
Two years ago some of the buildings still empty after ten years were deteriorating so that the historic district was declared one of the most endangered historic properties in the state by Washington Trust for Historic Sites and the City pursued National Listing for the site so tax credits could help with the building renovation. This was successful in July of last year. The next step for this historic property within the city limits is to become a Landmark District so it falls under city historic protection laws and Department of Neighborhood staff trained personnel. This will save the city money in that Parks will not have to hire an outside consultant to review design issues. It will allow for a design review process that will be set up after the property is designated overseen by trained City preservation staff. It will also allow for City building code relief as well as set design guidelines.
Please write the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board or come to a public hearing to tell them your story of why the base is important keep and celebrate. On February 2nd 2011 the nomination of the site as the first landmarked historic district in 20 years in Seattle goes before the board for consideration. It has received National Listing at the highest level of importance, federal, due to its importance to aviation and military history. Now it needs your help to receive protection under City preservation laws. This helps establish a system of design guidelines and public input and well as giving building code relief to developers who save these historic buildings.
All buildings must be at least 25 years old. They met the federal standard to 50 years. In addition, there are six criteria for nomination. The site needs to meet only one but we feel it meets four of the six:
Criteria A “It is associated with a historic event,” the Around the World Flight and Lindberg’s landing
Criteria C: “The buildings are associated in a significant way with a significant aspect of the cultural, political or economic heritage of the city, state or nation”(1st Municipal Airport and Navy base),
Criteria D: “It embodies the distinctive visible characteristics of an architectural style or period” as a large collection of WPA built Art Deco, Colonial Revival and rare pre-WWII aviation hangers and
Criteria F: Because of its prominence of spatial location, contrasts or siting, age, or scale, it is an easily identifiable visual feature of its neighborhood or the city and contributes to the distinctive quality or identify of such neighborhood of the City.”
If you served at the base or have a story about its importance to our economic development or national defense or aviation history please write or e-mail just one page to the Landmarks Board and let them know by the end of January. Public Notice is attached so you can see the whole nomination with historic photos.
Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board
Department of Neighborhoods
PO Box 94649
Seattle, WA 98124-4649 or attend the meeting Feb.2 at 3:30 Seattle Municipal Tower 700 5th Ave., 40th floor room 4060
Or e-mail Beth.Chave@seattle.gov
When you write please cc: Karen.Gordon@seattle.gov,Tom.
Lynn Ferguson Friends of NAS-Seattle Historic District www.sandptnavsta.org;lynnferguson65@comcast.net 206-523-0391
