Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts

Naval Hospital Chapel Landmark Designation

Sunday, March 20, 2022


By Janet Way

It’s official! The Seattle Naval Hospital Chapel has been designated a historic landmark by the Shoreline Landmarks Commission and the King County Historic Preservation Program.

The Shoreline Preservation Society (SPS) received this certificate denoting the official designation.

SPS worked with funding from 4Culture and with historical consultants at Northwest Vernacular, Shoreline Historical Museum, and dozens of other organizations and community members to tell the story of the Chapel and ensure it was properly designated for its unique place in World War II history.

The Chapel was completed on the campus of what is now Fircrest School in 1944, at the Naval Hospital built to treat sailors wounded in the Pacific Theater during the war. 

It is the very first non-denominational, freestanding Naval Hospital Chapel in America. It was built because Captain J.T. Boone, the commander of the base, was inspired by the surrounding forest and believed that patients recovering from their wounds needed a place of respite and beauty to heal. 

The groundbreaking was in June 1943, and it was completed with meticulous local craftsmanship in the neo-Tudor style, with beautiful rustic woodworking and period lighting in the interior.

Naval Hospital Chapel photo by Janet Way

This site is the only remaining example of Shoreline’s contribution to the war effort. And the Chapel is still uniquely inspirational in its wooded setting. The surrounding Forest was also designated a Landmark because of its distinct relationship with the building.

Captain (later Vice Admiral) Boone was also a remarkable part of the story because he was the most decorated medical officer in the history of the U.S. armed services. He received the Medal of Honor for bravery under fire as a doctor during World War I and was awarded numerous other medals, including the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, and Bronze Star. He also served three presidents as their physician.

Shoreline Preservation Society will continue advocating for further designation of the Chapel and Forest on the National Register of Historic Places, for which it is highly eligible.



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Local History Project: Take an in-person field trip Saturday to the Place of Lake People

Thursday, March 17, 2022


This Saturday March 19, 2022 from noon to 3pm: Local History Project Field Trip #1

We have the opportunity to learn some history of the Place of Lake People who inhabited the North Lake Washington, Lake Forest Park area.

Ken Workman, Duwamish Tribal elder and David Buerge, local historian and author will lead us on a Field Trip.

  • Noon to 1pm: gather informally at Third Place Commons, Town Center, intersection Ballinger / Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park to look at maps
  • 1pm: congregate outside LFP City Hall to hear how the lake level fell with the Montlake Cut.
  • 1:20pm: cross SR 522 to gather at Lyon Creek Conservation Park.
  • 1:30pm - 3pm: hear stories of history and place, make maps, share knowledge, and socialize on the lake shore.
More information on Facebook: Knowing Place



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History: First session of the Washington territorial legislature convened 168 years ago

Monday, February 28, 2022

Journal entry for that day

The first session of the WA territorial legislature convened on February 27, 1854. There were only 9 members in the Council (the present-day Senate) and 18 members in the House. Many down-sound legislators arrived in Olympia by canoe.

--Washington state archives


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Seattle Symphony marks the 80th anniversary of Executive Order 9066

Friday, February 11, 2022

Executive Order 9066
The Seattle Symphony marks the 80th anniversary of Executive Order 9066 with a week-long digital broadcast of the EO9066 program on Seattle Symphony Live

Issued on February 19, 1942, Executive Order 9066 authorized the relocation and incarceration of over 100,000 innocent Japanese American citizens during World War II. 

Over the course of several months, Japanese American men, women and children were removed from their homes and held at internment camps without due process. 

The executive order indelibly changed their lives and the history of the Puget Sound region, with many lingering effects still felt today.

The EO9066 program will be available to stream on Seattle Symphony Live for one week, beginning Thursday, February 17, 2022 and run through February 24. 

On February 19th, the 80th anniversary of Executive Order 9066, the performance will be available to stream for free. 
 
In this powerful concert, the orchestra showcases two works inspired by the executive order — first, the world premiere performance of of Paul Chihara’s Beyond the Hills, a Seattle Symphony commission; then the musicians are joined on stage by Seattle-born Kishi Bashi for his own Improvisations on EO9066; Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 rounds out the program.



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Burial services held at Acacia for casualty of 1943's Black Sunday air raid

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

A military honors team from Joint Base Lewis-McCord
Story and most photos by Doug Cerretti

Early Sunday morning August 1, 1943 Army Air Force's 2nd Lt. Anel B. Shay Jr., along with nine other airmen, boarded the B-24 Liberator named “Semper Felix” and took off from their base in Benghazi, Libya.

"Bud" Shay was 26
Photo from DPAA
The target for that day, code-name Operation Tidal Wave, was the Ploesti (Romania) oil complex that supplied 60% of the oil for the Nazi war machine. 

Shay, a bombardier, was a member of the 345th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. The doctrine of high-altitude, precision, daylight bombing utilizing B-24 Liberators and B-17 Flying Fortresses was a new strategy and the Army Air Forces were still experimenting on how to utilize this new weapon. 

For the Ploesti oil complex raid, the B-24s would use a new strategy; low level flying at tree top level (200 to 800 feet) to deliver their bomb load. The mission required precise timing of the bomb groups to arrive over the target in mass and, most importantly, the raid would be a complete surprise. 

Unfortunately neither occurred; bomb groups lost track of each other and arrived at different times and the Nazis broke the American code and were lying in wait for the Liberators. 
Only eighty-eight of 178 liberators returned to base and three hundred and ten American fliers were killed including 2nd Lt. Anel B. Shay Jr., who was 26 years old. 

The Ploesti raid is also known as Black Sunday. The Army Air Forces never again tried low-level bomb runs.

The honor guard ceremonially folding the flag

Following the war, more than 80 unknown remains from the Ploesti raid were transferred to the American Cemetery in Belgium. In 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA, www.dpaa.mil) began exhuming unknowns from Operation Tidal Wave. 

The remains were sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for examination and identification. 2nd Lt. Anel B. Shay Jr. was accounted for by the DPAA on June 28, 2021, after DNA analysis using samples from family members.

The flag is presented to Shay's nephew John Shay

After 78 years 2nd Lt. Anel B. Shay Jr. was laid to rest at Acacia Memorial Park and Funeral Home in Lake Forest Park on February 3, 2022. Present at the service were Shay’s nephew John Shay and great nephew Dylan Shay and other family members.

Members of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.

A 17-member military honors team from the Joint Base Lewis-McCord’s 16th Combat Aviation Brigade participated, including an Honor Guard Firing Team and Bugler. Also paying their respects were eight members of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Growing up, John Shay did not know much about his Uncle. Seeing his medals, he asked, “Whose are these?” Grandma said, “They’re Uncle Bud’s,” as he was known in the family. 

A native of Seattle, 2nd Lt. Anel B. Shay Jr. attended Lincoln High School and the University of Washington. His parents, Anel Sr. and Lucy Shay and sister Jane survived him. Anel B. Shay, Sr. is also interred at Acacia Memorial Park.

Additional information about 2nd Lt. Shay here



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Artist Michelle Kumata creates two exhibits that preserve Japanese American heritage

Friday, February 4, 2022

Michelle Kumata photo by John Pai

By Ron Chew

On February 19, 2022, Seattle artist and illustrator Michelle Kumata again comes face-to-face with her community’s shattered past.

Exactly 80 years ago, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, the infamous federal mandate that authorized the imprisonment of her grandparents in Minidoka War Relocation Camp, Idaho, a desolate concentration camp constructed to hold 13,000 residents deemed security risks by the U.S. government. 

Over 120,000 Japanese Americans on the West Coast — two-thirds of whom were American-born citizens — were incarcerated in 10 camps during the duration of World War II, without the benefit of due process.

To mark this anniversary, Kumata has created two riveting art installations which explore the forgotten contributions of Japanese American pioneers before they were unjustly uprooted and forced to part with their treasured possessions, homes, businesses and farms.

One installation is featured at Bonfire, a storefront gallery at 603 S Main, in the heart of what used to be a bustling Nihonmachi or Japantown. The exhibition, titled “Regeneration,” consists of large canvas paintings, 11 small framed paintings, handkerchiefs with quotes painted on the surfaces, and small boxes covered with furoshiki, a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth. 

The portraits were inspired by actual black-and-white stills from Takano Studio, a pre-World War II community business. Kumata sketched the portraits on brown craft paper, using pencil and acrylic paint, setting the images in ordinary vintage frames.

Michelle holds a handkerchief with a quotation painted on it

The second installation, titled “Emerging Radiance: Honoring the Nikkei Farmers of Bellevue” is in the lobby of the Bellevue Arts Museum, on land that was once a fertile expanse of Japanese American farms. 

The installation is a four-sided wooden replica of a farmhouse covered with a large mural and individual portraits. It pays tribute to the 60 forgotten families who grew strawberries, peas and other crops before they were forced from the area during World War II.

“I’m sad because most of those farmers never lived to get the recognition they deserved,” Kumata said.

Jerry Chihara served as architect for this project. Thanks to creative director Tani Ikeda, three of the nine portraits have an “augmented reality” feature, allowing viewers to hear fuller stories from the Densho archives by activating a QR code on their mobile phones.

“I feel like I’ve come full circle,” Kumata said in an interview last week.

Kumata, a native Seattleite, grew up in Mt. Baker. After attending Asa Mercer Middle School, she transferred to the Bush School, a private high school where she felt “different from her classmates” for the first time in her life. Kumata learned very little in school about what had happened during World War II.

“My parents were both born in camp so they didn’t have memories,” she explained. “My paternal grandmother just shared more of the funny or light memories: getting her boots stuck in the mud. My maternal grandparents spoke little English, and we never had real discussions. I had no sense of the gravity of the incarceration.”

As a young person, Kumata struggled to find her identity. She began by joining a Japanese American taiko group. She also began an internship as an illustrator at the International Examiner in her senior year of high school.

“It was powerful to have my work published,” she recalled. “It was empowering to be seen and to think about other people seeing my work and relating to it. That experience helped boost my confidence and pride as an Asian American and a Japanese American.”
Artist Michelle Kumata

This involvement led her to the Wing Luke Museum, where she became a contractor on a major exhibition to mark the 50th anniversary of Executive Order 9066. She served as a project co-chair, along with Sally Yamasaki, Harry Fujita, David Takami, Leslie Matsuda and Hannah Yamasaki. 

The exhibition, titled “Executive Order 9066: 50 Years Before and 50 Years After,” featured hundreds of rediscovered photos and artifacts and dozens of stories told in the voices of the second-generation Nisei. It included a recreated barrack from Camp Harmony, the temporary assembly center in Puyallup which housed internees before they were transported to Minidoka.

Kumata headed up the design of the exhibition, which filled the entire Museum gallery. It was a blockbuster, attracting over 10,000 visitors during a six-month run. It received several museum awards and catapulted the Wing into national prominence.

Sally Yamasaki said she worked daily with Kumata, sometimes spending all night at the Museum with her. 

“I was so lucky to get to know Michelle and to see her artistic eye, intelligence, tenderness, humility, integrity and humor,” she remarked. 
“We would often listen to community members who had been incarcerated tell their stories, sometimes for the first time publicly. Michelle, with her open nature, would listen deeply. I would see her at times blinking and dabbing away tears.”

After working on “Executive Order 9066,” Kumata was employed as an illustrator and designer at the Seattle Times from 1995 to 2006. She returned to the Wing Luke Museum as a full-time exhibit developer from 2006 to 2018, stewarding many other community-based exhibitions created in the same spirit as “Executive Order 9066.”

“That experience with ‘Executive Order 9066’ really changed the way I looked at museums and it also helped build my skills in community building,” Kumata said.

In 2018, she left to pursue her independent artistic interests.

“All of my work in the community—participating in taiko, the Examiner, the Wing Luke Museum and the Seattle Times—have had a huge influence on how I approach my art now. Heritage, identity and legacy are my main themes. I integrate family and community stories.

“We’ve lost many of the old places in Nihonmachi, but we can still preserve and remember them. What does it mean to be Japanese American? It doesn’t have to be one thing. The community is evolving. We can transform and make our own identity.”

Regeneration will be at Bonfire February 2 – March 26, 2022. Emerging Radiance will be at Bellevue Arts Museum February – March 13, 2022. The Bellevue Arts Museum is located at 510 Bellevue Way NE in Lincoln Square South.

For more arts, click here

See more of Michelle’s work: www.michellekumata.com Instagram: @michellekumata



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Contest encourages Washington students to learn more about the history of their community and state

Thursday, February 3, 2022

OLYMPIA — Washington students in grades K-12 are invited to participate in a contest that encourages them to learn more about the history of their community and state.

The “What’s in a Place Name?” contest offers students the opportunity to explore their neighborhoods and identify a sign or label on a public place named after a person, location, or landmark that is part of Washington’s history. 

“What’s in a Place Name?” asks participating students — or teams of students — to find out how that name fits into the state’s history and reflects their community’s values, and to present their findings in a creative way.

The contest is sponsored by Legacy Washington, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.

“‘What’s in a Place Name?’ is for young people who wonder who or what their school or street is named after, or their favorite park, library, or neighborhood building,” said Secretary of State Steve Hobbs. 
“With this contest we are offering students a fun and engaging way to learn about Washington’s rich, storied history and to make a deeper connection with their communities.”

More information, including contest rules, helpful resources, and how to enter, can be found on the Office of the Secretary of State’s Primarily Washington website. 

Entries may be submitted in multiple formats, including — but not limited to — written (essay, poetry, play, zine), visual (painting, photo essay, collage), audio (podcast, song), audiovisual (film, documentary), and interactive (app). A sample entry can be viewed here. The entry deadline is May 15, 2022.

A panel of judges will choose and announce five winners on May 31, 2022. The winners will receive a $100 grant for their classroom, and winning entries will be posted in a virtual exhibit on the Primarily Washington website.

About Legacy Washington

Legacy Washington documents extraordinary stories in Washington history. This collaborative venture, spearheaded by Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, relies on original sources at Washington State Library, Washington State Archives, and heritage organizations statewide. The work of Legacy Washington can be found in libraries around the country and museums of Washington.

About the Office of the Secretary of State

Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees a number of areas within state government, including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. 

The office also manages the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, oversees the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees, and administers the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.



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Creative Exchange: Art and Archaeology

Monday, January 31, 2022

"Everyday Artifacts: Working-Class Waste from 1890s Seattle,” by Kate Clark at BAM.

Creative Exchange: Art and Archaeology 

Saturday, February 5, 2-3:30pm
For adults, tweens and teens
 
Join the Bellevue Arts Museum (BAM) for a conversation exploring the intersection of art and archeology.

BAM Biennial 2021 Artist Kate Clark will describe the process behind her installation, "Everyday Artifacts: Working-Class Waste from 1890s Seattle,” which features some 800 objects discovered during excavation for the Washington State Convention Center expansion. 

Clark will be joined by Laura Phillips, Archaeology Collections Manager at the Burke Museum for discussion of the context behind the artwork, archaeological collections stewardship and consideration of Clark's idea that "the world is a living museum, and we are its interpreters."

Please register

You will receive a Zoom link within 24 hours of the program. If you do not see an email, please check your Junk or Spam folder.

Kate Clark is the lead artist of Parkeology, a collaborative art project that produces installations about hidden stories of public spaces such as museums. Parkeology has developed work for the Smithsonian Institution, the Bauhaus Institute Weimar, The Oakland Museum, Balboa Park, and The San Diego Museum of Natural History. 

Kate Clark is currently an Artist-in-Residence with Seattle City Light, and her work "Everyday Artifacts: Working-Class Waste from 1890s Seattle" is featured in the BAM Biennial 2021: Architecture and Urban Design.

Laura Phillips has been the Archaeology Collections Manager at the Burke Museum for 28 years, caring for a collection of over one million objects, and teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in museum management and archaeological stewardship. She began her archaeological fieldwork in the Pacific Northwest in 1990, and has since worked throughout the region.

Supported by BAM members and partners, including King County Library System, with additional funding provided by Humanities Washington and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) approved by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Joseph R. Biden.

Closed captioning is available for online events. Captioning is auto-generated. Reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities is available by request for all events. Contact the library at least seven days before the event if you need accommodation. Send your request to access@kcls.org



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LFP residents, including two new council members, tour the Shoreline Historical Museum

Thursday, December 30, 2021

Larry Goldman and Tracy Furutani, LFP Council members-elect, and other LFP residents
toured the museum with Kenneth Doutt, Shoreline Historical Museum Executive Director

By Sally Yamasaki

Lake Forest Park Council members-elect Larry Goldman and Tracy Furutani, along with other LFP residents, toured the Shoreline Historical Museum and met new Executive Director Kenneth Doutt.

"This was my first time to visit the museum! It's a great resource for anyone wanting to know the details of Lake Forest Park's history, even before the city of Lake Forest Park existed." commented Furutani.

On our tour of the museum, Doutt handed us cards to write down what excites us most about living in Lake Forest Park. Then, with more critical eyes and minds, we ventured into the museum gallery to see if we could find those elements in the exhibit space.

c. 1935 Lake Forest Park Civic Club. Photo from Shoreline Historical Museum
"To listen and learn first hand from community members is incredibly exciting to me as we begin to rethink and develop our museum spaces," said Doutt.

LFP resident Anne Udaloy, a hydrogeologist, explained that she appreciated the re-created map of the area exhibited from an 1859 survey that included traditional living and land use areas of the Duwamish and other Coast Salish Tribes. 

For her, seeing the confluence of the two major drainages, Lyon and McAleer Creeks, into Lake Washington reminded her of the community's responsibility to care for these streams.

A portion of the re-created map from 1859 showing
Lake Forest Park and its two major creeks.
Photo and map from Shoreline Historical Museum
"Our community has the opportunity, and responsibility, to care for these streams. Plans to preserve the streams were embedded in early documents describing proposed land development, including early deeds, but were not always honored. 
"It's exciting to realize that we are likely to have an exceptional opportunity in the upcoming decade to take meaningful actions in defense of these watersheds," said Udaloy.

The museum has been around before Shoreline was a city and it gets its name from its mission to preserve the history and serve the community of the historical Shoreline School District which ran from "SHORE to SHORE and LINE to LINE." 

In other words, between the shores of Lake Washington and Puget Sound and between the lines of NE 205th St (Snohomish County border) and NE 65th/85th St (former Seattle city limit).

In 1961, Lake Forest Park officially became a city, then in 1995 Shoreline followed suit. So, although the museum’s name is Shoreline Historical Museum, it includes the communities of Lake Forest Park, Shoreline, and part of North Seattle.

"If we want to have a good plan for where Lake Forest Park might go in the future, it's important to understand the history. The Shoreline Historical Museum provides a good background about the history of Lake Forest Park and the region," said Goldman.

The museum is located at 18501 Linden Ave N. near Fred Meyer on Aurora. For more information call: 206-542-711 or www.shorelinehistoricalmuseum.org.

To learn more about Lake Forest Park History, visit: https://youtu.be/VHHpJwFMeYs

Speaker Vicki Stiles: "Shoreline Historical Museum, commemorates Lake Forest Park's 60th Anniversary with a trip through time, examining the people and events that helped make Lake Forest Park uniquely what it is today."


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Happy Birthday, King County

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

King county originally had oceanfront property
December 22, 2021 marks 169 years since King County was established in the Oregon Territory.

Why Oregon? Congress did not create the Washington Territory until March 1853.

King County originally stretched from the Cascades to the Pacific, before shrinking to the current boundaries in 1867.

--@King County


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Washington Archives Haunted Tour online

Sunday, October 31, 2021


The fourth annual Washington State Archives haunted tour takes you on a spooky virtual trek through the dark stacks in the underbelly of the Archives Building. 

We've brought some infamous Washingtonians back from the dead to tell their stories, and you don't want to miss it!

This year’s tour features stories from:
  • J.E. Standley, the founder of Ye Olde Curiosity Shop.
  • Ruth Garrison, a young woman who poisoned her rival’s food.
  • Hallie Illingworth, the “Lady of the Lake” who surfaced three years after her murder.
  • Roy Olmstead, “King of the Puget Sound Bootleggers
Watch now!




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AAUW Seattle and Edmonds SnoKing sponsor a Humanities Program on Native American Contributions to Democracy

Monday, October 11, 2021

Fern Renville will speak on Native American 
contributions to democracy on Nov. 13 on zoom
American Democracy’s Indigenous Roots and Future will be presented by Fern Naomi Renville of the Humanities WA Speakers Bureau, November 13, 2021 at 10:30am via zoom

The program is sponsored by the AAUW Seattle and Edmonds SnoKing Branches.

Benjamin Franklin learned the principles of federalism from Native Americans and helped write these principles into the U.S. Constitution. 

American Suffragists were fascinated with Native American matriarchal power and invited Native American women leaders to speak at their conferences. 

Join storyteller Fern Renville as she shares stories both mythic and personal that reframe and highlight the history, present, and future of Indigenous female power and leadership in America.

Renville is a Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota, Omaha, and Seneca-Cayuga storyteller, theatre director, and playwright. The program is free and open to the public. Advance registration is required at:

Calendar | American Association of University Women - Seattle Branch (aauw-seattle.org)

For more information, contact AAUW Seattle at programs@aauw-seattle.org



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North City Water District celebrates 90 years of excellence with the telling of their history

Sunday, October 10, 2021

The history of the North City Water District

Imagine being one of those handful of individuals who got together and decided it was time to give our area their very own water utility. They had to have the foresight to look ahead, and the determination to plan a system that would meet the needs of both existing and future residents— an approach we’ve continued to uphold every year since then.


Originally called King County Water District No. 42, we were founded by a majority vote of local residents, who then voted to elect our first commissioners: H.A. Cross, William G. Munro, and L.H. Coffel. The commissioners then selected engineers and attorneys to help plan the development of the district...

Read the rest of the article here

The North City Water District serves the west section of Lake Forest Park and the eastern portion of Shoreline.



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AAUW presents local author Dori Jones Yang in in-person event at Seattle Asian Art Museum

Friday, October 8, 2021


In the 1980s, after decades of isolation, China opened its doors – and Communism changed forever. 

As a foreign correspondent during this pivotal time, Dori Jones Yang used her fluency in Mandarin to get to know the ordinary people she met— people embracing opportunities that had once been unimaginable in China. 

Soon she fell in love with China and with a Chinese man. This memoir recalls the euphoria of Americans and Chinese discovering a new China, as well as the despair of Tiananmen Square.

Dori’s observations offer an unusual vantage point from which to understand China’s perspective on its growing prominence in the world— a view seldom heard amidst the acrimony of US-China relations today.

AAUW Seattle invites the public to hear award-winning local author Dori Jones Yang speak on her memoir, When the Red Gates Opened: A Memoir of China’s Reawakening.

 Saturday, October 16, 2021 -- 10:30am - 12:00pm - in person
Stimson Auditorium in the Seattle Asian Art Museum,
Free parking is available

Yang will share her experiences as a Business Week correspondent in China in the 1980s, including the Tiananmen Square protests. Fluent in Mandarin, Yang provides a unique perspective on China and its people.

More information on this AAUW Seattle program is at https://aauw-seattle.org/calendar/filter-by/event/79/2021/10/16

Reservations required: email RSVP@aauw-seattle.org. There is no charge, but masks will be required. Guests are welcome.



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Shoreline Walks: North City Loop - Saturday 10am

Saturday, October 2, 2021

North City gas station 1928

Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 10am join walk leader Donna for a tour of North City.

Explore the North City neighborhood taking a look at some of the many changes to the area, with the option of checking out nearby North City Park after the walk.

Now the building is the North City Tavern

Walk is approximately 3.0 miles / 2 hours
Walk Rating: Moderate, with one steep hill
Meet at: North City Elementary School, 816 NE 190th St, Shoreline, WA 98155



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Remand Hearing for Naval Hospital Chapel Boundary - September 23, 2021

Monday, September 20, 2021

Naval Chapel at Fircrest photo by Janet Way

It will be a “Redo!” According to King County Preservation Board, the “Motion for Reconsideration” on the Landmark “boundary decision” will recommence at a Remand Hearing next Thursday, September 23, 2021 at 4pm. But the property and Chapel that was preserved by the Shoreline Landmarks Commission will stand.

The dispute arose when DSHS (Management at Fircrest) challenged the original decision borders and requested a Motion for Reconsideration on the property boundaries. They were requesting a section of the forest, which was landmarked around the Historic Chapel, for use as a parking lot.

But interestingly, according to the Historic Property Inventory Form and determinations made prior to 2001, the entire Fircrest Campus is actually eligible for the National Register of Historic Places! So, it is even more significant than previously known.

The Shoreline City Council Remanded the case back to the Landmarks Commission because of an error in the original Legal Notice.

So, if you are someone who cares about this historic World War II site, where thousands of injured sailors were cared for and healed, and that this Chapel was built as a place for spiritual support and healing within a beautiful forest, then please send a comment to The King County Landmarks Commission c/o Sarah Steen, ssteen@kingcounty.gov. And/or, please tune in to the hearing and comment if you wish on Zoom.

Zoom Conference Access Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83502932396?pwd=NzViU1dzSThUZHkvVjBLWEVpbk4zZz09

If you have any questions, contact Shoreline Preservation Society via Janet Way at 206-734-5545 or janetway@yahoo.com



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Golden Wheels outdoor exhibit and Hillwood History Walk Saturday

Monday, August 9, 2021

 

On Saturday, August 14, 2021 from 10am to 2pm, the Shoreline Historical Museum will stage its annual Golden Wheels car show.

Featuring member's vehicles, it will be held on the event space next to the museum, which is located at N 185th and Linden Ave N.

Golden Wheels car show 2017 photo by Steven H. Robinson

At 1pm, museum director Vicki Stiles will lead the Hillwood History Walk, exploring the surrounding neighborhood from an historical perspective. Gather in front of the museum.

The Walk and the car show are both free events.



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Notes from Shoreline Council meeting July 26, 2021

Saturday, July 31, 2021

Pam Cross, reporter
Shoreline City Council Meeting
July 26, 2021

Notes by Pam Cross

Mayor Hall called the remote meeting to order at 7:00pm.
Councilmember Robertson was excused for personal reasons.

Approval of the Agenda
Agenda adopted by unanimous consent.

Report of the City Manager Debbie Tarry

COVID-19


For adults over 30 in North Seattle and Shoreline, the fully vaccinated rate is over 80% so Thank You!
  • Ages 20-29 61% are fully vaccinated, and ages 12-19 the number is 62%.
  • Vaccinations are open to everyone 12+.
  • Vaccination locator 
  • Or call 1.800.525.0127. Language assistance available

Help us fight hunger by signing up for the Can Castle Contest.


This week’s Shoreline Walks is a walk around Twin Ponds Park. For details go to shorelinewa.gov/shorelinewalks

A reminder that Primary Election ballots are due August 3.

Council Reports

Councilmember McGlashan again testified at the Sound Transit Board meeting in support of 522/523 bus rapid transit (BRT). There might be a modified plan under consideration. Whether there will be parking garages is still unknown.

Public Comment

Speaking for the protection of established trees
  • Bill Turner, Shoreline
  • Nancy Morris, Shoreline
  • Kathleen Russell, Shoreline, Save Shoreline Trees
Jackie Kurle, Shoreline
  • Encourages ongoing oversight as the enhanced shelter nears capacity.
Approval of the Consent Calendar
Consent Calendar approved unanimously by a vote of 6-0.

Action Item 8(a) QUASI-JUDICIAL: Closed-Record Appeal Hearing - Shoreline Preservation Society, Regarding Naval Hospital Chapel Landmark Designation

City Attorney Margaret King

Because the Council will be acting as a quasi-judicial body, the Appearance of Fairness Doctrine applies to their decision tonight. Councilmembers must show that they can act in a fair and impartial manner, free from improper influence.

The City Attorney previously questioned the Councilmembers.

Two Councilmembers advised they had had contact with some of the parties involved. Attorney King asks for additional information.

Councilmember Robertson reported she had had some contact. However, since she is absent from this meeting for personal unrelated reasons, there is no need to pursue.

Deputy Mayor Scully reported he was contacted by Janet Way who asked him a couple of procedural questions. He did not respond to Ms. Way except to say he didn’t know the answers. He contacted the City Manager and staff responded to Ms. Way. He did not receive any additional information. He states he can act in a fair and impartial manner.

Ms. King does not see a need to ask anyone to recuse themselves.

Does DSHS or the Shoreline Landmark Commission have any questions or concerns?
No concerns or objections.

We can proceed.

This is a Closed-Record Hearing which means that the City Council’s decision is to be based solely on the Record before the City Council and on the arguments and supporting exhibits of the parties. Under the rules of appeal, the Council does not have the authority to request additional information from others, including DSHS.

The decision being appealed is the Shoreline Landmarks Commission’s revised designation of the Naval Hospital Chapel, located within the Fircrest Campus at 1902 NE 150th St. 

More specifically, the appeal is of the Commission’s decision to revise its original designation of the Chapel by reducing the 2.7-acre area surrounding the Chapel to 2.6 acres by revising the eastern boundary to include a section south of the contributing lower parking lot and to exclude a 60-foot by 260-foot section north of the lower parking lot. The revised designation was based on a Request for Reconsideration filed by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS).

Because of the nature of this action item, this will be a more structured presentation than normally seen at Council meetings. While the Appeal Hearing will be open to the public, only SPS, DSHS/DNR, and a representative for the Shoreline Commission may participate. The City Attorney will be present to assist the Council in the appeal proceedings.

The participants:

1. SPS (Shoreline Preservation Society) seeking Historical Landmark status

2. DSHS/DNR (Dept. of Social and Health Services / Dept. of Natural Resources) owners of the property

3. Commission (Shoreline Landmarks Commission) whose purpose is to designate, preserve, protect, enhance, and perpetuate historic landmarks

The process:

The schedule for oral argument of the appeal proceeding is as follows:
  1. SPS’s (Shoreline Preservation Society) Opening Argument 45 minutes
  2. DSHS/DNR’s Response Argument 40 minutes (Dept. of Social and Health Services/ Dept. of Natural Resources).
  3. Commission’s (Shoreline Landmark’s Commission) Response 15 minutes
  4. SPS’s Rebuttal 10 minutes
After each oral argument, Councilmembers have the opportunity to ask clarifying questions, but will not discuss the topic until the conclusion. At that time they will meet in a Closed Session. At the end of that session, Council will return with their findings.

Burden of proof:

The burden of proof to show the Shoreline Landmark Commission’s (Commission) decision was in error is on the Shoreline Preservation Society (SPS).

SPS’s opening argument included a detailed description of the Navy Chapel’s importance as an historical landmark presented by Janet Way.

NOTE: This is an appeal of the Commission’s decision to alter the boundary of the original designation as a result of DSHS’s Request for Reconsideration. It is not an appeal of the Shoreline Commission’s decision to designate the Fircrest Naval Chapel as a Shoreline Landmark. As a result I am including only those remarks relative to the boundary. For details about the Chapel, please go to the staff report at www.shorelinewa.gov




DSHS requested change


This sketch is an amateur attempt to superimpose SAS “after reconsideration map” over the original designation map. The parking lot (the U-shape on the right or southeast side of the property) is wanted by both SPS and DHSH/DNR.

The issues:

Did the Shoreline Landmark Commission err
  1. in granting the Motion for Reconsideration filed by DSHS because it did not apply the proper legal standard for a motion for reconsideration?
  2. when it concluded that revising the eastern boundary to exclude the proposed 60 feet by 240 feet section would not have a significant adverse impact on the integrity and character of the Chapel setting?
  3. because it failed to give due consideration to the findings set forth in the February 2, 2021, Findings and Fact and Decision of the Shoreline Landmark Commission?
  4. when it did not accept testimony and arguments on protecting the existing landmark from environmental harm?
  5. to the extent it considered evidence of DSHS’s intent to use and develop the Fircrest property in the future?
  6. to the extent its decision to revise the boundary was a response to a threat of litigation by DSHS
  7. Was the Appeal Action the result of an unfair and improper public process due to a lack of reasonable public notice and unfair timeline causing substantial harm to Appellant?
  8. Was the Appeal Action the result of an unlawful and unfair hearing process because Appellants were not given the opportunity to rebut DSHS arguments recently presented to Appellant?
  9. Was DSHS required to notify the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation or tribal groups of its motion for reconsideration?

Following arguments by all parties, Councilmembers may ask clarifying questions about rules and procedures.

Motion and second to extend the meeting to 11:00pm is agreed by unanimous consent.

Council meets with the City Attorney at a Closed Session in a different Zoom meeting.


Council returns to open session.

The Mayor conducted the following discussion as is normally done during a Council meeting.

Mayor Hall: Does anyone object to asking for staff documents that were most recently sent? We want to make sure we have all the information we need to make the decision.
  • No objection.
  • Documents are emailed to Council.
  • Councilmembers appear to be reading the documents.
Mayor Hall: Do we need more time to review?
No.

Are we voting on each issue as we go? Or at the end?
Both. We will have to direct staff to prepare an ordinance that remands, revises or upholds the Commission’s decision. Because there are so many issues, if we seem to reach consensus on each individual one we don’t need the formality of voting on each one. If we get to one where we’re divided, then I think we need to ask for a motion and then put it to a vote. And at the end, we will be voting on the totality of what we’re directing staff to put in the Ordinance.

1. Did the Shoreline Landmark Commission err
in granting the Motion for Reconsideration filed by DSHS because it did not apply the proper legal standard for a motion for reconsideration?

The original decision had to be based on an error or omission of fact, or new information that was not readily available. I urge Council to vote that the Commission did properly consider the motion for Reconsideration, regardless of the result. I believe they properly considered it. DSHS’s argument was founded in an argument there were errors or omissions of fact: that the Commission erroneously designated the entirety of the parcel rather than a section of it that DSHS thought they should exclude.

I thought SAS proposed a map, DSHS proposed a different map, and the Commission came up with their own map. I don’t see the underlying error.

This doesn’t fit cleanly into parameters. If one party proposed a map, the other party proposed a different map, and a decision was reached, then it shouldn’t be called a Reconsideration but just a continuation of the hearing. Procedurally, it doesn’t make a difference. They are still entitled to review here.

Because the map was mischaracterized?

Yes, so they are entitled to argue either that it was an error of fact how it was characterized, or it was an error of fact how it was presented on the map.

We heard that the Commission felt they did it properly. Their rules state that any party can petition the decision based on the grounds that it was based on error of fact. DSHS did submit a petition. The Commission reconsidered it and rendered a revised map. That map, then, had the parties looking differently at the northern and southern parts. It appears the Commission did it correctly.

I came to the same conclusion. After reading the minutes carefully to determine what map/boundaries they were talking about, I noticed there were some that didn’t appear to be 100% sure of the boundaries they were discussing. There was confusion and I felt that was enough, but then there was the new information of whether there would be a material effect on the landmark designation. I think Reconsideration was appropriate.

Council reaches general consensus.

2.  Did the Shoreline Landmark Commission err
when it concluded that revising the eastern boundary to exclude the proposed 60 feet by 240 feet section would not have a significant adverse impact on the integrity and character of the Chapel setting?

Note: the section being discussed is the parking lot (refer to maps).

I don’t believe they did. It was never clear to me how the exact boundaries were selected. They seemed to be based on the roads. I believe asking for Reconsideration on any of the boundaries would be appropriate.

I came to a different conclusion. I don’t see how you can reach any conclusion, using any standard, that the character of the forest isn’t important to the integrity of the structure. The photographs and historical description show that the forest is integral to the importance of the site. If the boundaries are not retained, who knows what could be built on the property that could adversely affect the Chapel setting of peace and tranquility.

I don’t think we’re tasked to make a decision on what could possibly be built there.

I agree. We can’t make decisions on what might possibly be built there. Owners change; circumstances change. Something can be built next to any landmark at any time and anywhere. I think it’s important in this case that there’s a buffer.

But we do have to think about that. All kinds of uses could go in there. Also, the new boundary doesn’t make sense - it’s not a uniform shape, it doesn’t follow the road, it doesn’t follow the contour lines, it doesn’t follow a path - it’s just kind of there.

I agree. There are several references that there are pathways to the Chapel that are important to the site. To exclude the path (from the parking lot) does not seem logical.

You need to have a topographic map to see how the changes could affect the feel of the Chapel. Based on the topography, I agree with the map after the Reconsideration. There is a slope down to the (parking lot) and the feel of the Chapel is based on what you can see.

I have no problem with the map. Area to the west of the Chapel is flat so there is a lot of visibility. To the east, there’s the hill sloping away.

The Commission stated they agree that the forest is significant but disagree on the scope based on photos and visits. Based on the deliberations that the Commission went through are evidence enough to me that there is no single perfect boundary. I don’t see that they made an error. Reasonable people can disagree. I’m ok with the boundaries and don’t see a need to second-guess that decision.

Do we have a consensus?
4 people think it is not an error.

MOTION to extend the meeting to midnight. Agreed by unanimous consent.

3. Did the Shoreline Landmark Commission err
because it failed to give due consideration to the findings set forth in the February 2, 2021, Findings and Fact and Decision of the Shoreline Landmark Commission?
 
Council does not see an error.

4. Did the Shoreline Landmark Commission err
when it did not accept testimony and arguments on protecting the existing landmark from environmental harm?

I’m torn on this one. Testimony was in the record. They didn’t say you may not provide this testimony. But the health of the forest had not been considered. It is not appropriate to discuss the forest as a habitat for birds or animals, but the health of the forest is integral to protecting the landmark. If there is a problem what would be the solution? I’m not sure.

Agree the health of the forest is important as part of the landmark, but one of the things we have to recognize is that Shoreline, King County and Washington State codes do not grant the Commission the ability to consider environmental issues. Their focus is on buildings/structures.

I think they accepted all of the testimony and arguments that they got. I don’t see an error here. Did they adequately consider whether the environmental harm to the forest would impact the Chapel? I don’t see that they did. But there’s no evidence that a different boundary would have a different impact.

5. Did the Shoreline Landmark Commission err
to the extent it considered evidence of DSHS’s intent to use and develop the Fircrest property in the future?

I don’t see that their decision to revise the boundary was based on any specific plan to develop or not develop in the area.

No disagreement.

6. Did the Shoreline Landmark Commission err
to the extent its decision to revise the boundary was a response to a threat of litigation by DSHS?

The attorney clearly tried to intimidate, to negotiate a resolution instead of arguing the facts of the law which should have been done. These are volunteers - no different from a jury. Some people are clearly intimidated by this. This generated a lot of anger and a loss of decorum.

I’m not convinced this didn’t have an impact on the decision. I don’t think we should let this one go.

Not everyone is intimated. This is bad lawyering but I don’t think it changed the outcome.

I’m undecided. He was just stating the facts: if things go one way, then this will be our next step.

The reaction of one of the Commissioners to recuse himself because of how he felt he was being treated, cannot be seen as harmless. We don’t know what would have happened had he stayed.

It doesn’t bother me enough to send it back.

7. Was the Appeal Action the result of an unfair and improper public process due to a lack of reasonable public notice and unfair timeline causing substantial harm to Appellant?

Having a hearing was optional. The Commission could have chosen to review the record and revise or reverse their decision without holding a hearing. They elected to hold a public hearing. They provided notice 6 days in advance instead of the correct notice of 10 days in advance.

They should have followed the public process (of 10 days notice). The people of the State through the Legislature, have spoken loud and clear that with violations of the public process we need to stop and redo. 6 days just wasn’t enough time and this is something fairly major. I think the proper decision is a remand for another hearing.

Did it cause substantial damage? Not sure it would have made a difference.

I agree an extra 3.5 days probably would not have affected the outcome, but rules are rules and a notice is a notice. It should have been rescheduled.

We face the same thing in what we do. We delay and re-notice. What is a harmless error? 6 days to prepare instead of 10? Definitely less time but no way to know what would have changed. Although it’s going to involve a lot of work by a lot of parties, and the outcome may be the same, we need to play by the rules and remand.

8. Was the Appeal Action the result of an unlawful and unfair hearing process because Appellants were not given the opportunity to rebut DSHS arguments recently presented to Appellant?

Council doesn’t have a problem with this one.

9. Was DSHS required to notify the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation or tribal groups of its motion for reconsideration?

Based on the record and the testimony we’ve heard, it seems pretty clear that this action requesting reconsiderations is not subject to this notification law.

Motion and second to direct staff to prepare findings and conclusions that tracks the majority of the Council’s comments tonight
  • in favor of the appellant SPS (Shoreline Preservation Society) on issue #7, and 
  • in favor of the respondent DSHS/DNR (Dept. of Social and Health Services/ Dept. of Natural Resources) on the remaining issues, and 
  • present that to Council at the next available meeting, and 
  • remand to the Landmark Commission on issue #7.

Attorney King offers guidance in the wording of the motion.

City Manager, Debbie Tarry advises the next available meeting is August 9th

VOTE

Passes unanimously by a vote of 6-0.

City Attorney King confirms that Councilmembers are still bound by the appearance of fairness as outline at the beginning of this discussion.

MEETING ADJOURNED



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Take a Trip through Time for Lake Forest Park’s 60th Anniversary on Saturday, July 24th

Wednesday, July 14, 2021


Did you know that the City of Lake Forest Park officially turns 60 this year?

Originally founded in 1912 as one of the Seattle area’s first planned communities, Lake Forest Park evolved through 50 years of growth before finally incorporating officially in June 1961.

Now Third Place Commons invites you to join in commemorating the city’s diamond anniversary with “The City of Lake Forest Park 60th Anniversary: Historical Reflections” with Vicki Stiles, Executive Director of the Shoreline Historical Museum, on Saturday, July 24, 2021 at 1pm.

Following welcome remarks from Lake Forest Park Mayor Jeff Johnson, Stiles will take you on a trip through time, examining the people and events that helped make Lake Forest Park uniquely what it is today.

This free Zoom event is part of Third Place Commons’ year-long series of virtual programs under the TPC At Home umbrella. Don’t miss this chance to learn the story of a very special place that over 13,000 people now call home.

Register here

For more about this and other free virtual events – as well as upcoming in-person events including Crafts Day at the Lake Forest Park Farmers Market (on July 18th) and the return of live music – visit ThirdPlaceCommons.org

Third Place Commons – a community supported 501(c)3 nonprofit organization – has been building real community in the heart of Lake Forest Park for over 20 years. In addition to presenting its largest program, the Lake Forest Park Farmers Market, Third Place Commons now also fosters real community in digital space with TPC At Home programs.



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