Cheney’s Historical Preservation Commission reviewed several applications for changes to historic buildings as part of a busy schedule at its bimonthly meeting June 3.
The commission voted to hold a special meeting in July and directed staff to explore other options than demolition as a response to an application for waiver of certificate of appropriateness for the Dave and Bessie Lowe House, located at 306 F. St. The home is owned by Eta Psi House Corporation and serves as the home of Eastern Washington University’s Alpha Phi – Eta Psi chapter.
The owners are requesting the waiver in order to remove a pair of out buildings on the property in order to increase the number of parking spaces — the home’s former carriage house and a tool shed. According to the application, the buildings have not been maintained over the years and consequently not in good shape, having been used only for storage of appliances and equipment that are no longer needed.
Commission administrative assistant Sue Beeman told the commission that the home is on the local, state and national historic registers. The national register carries no restrictions on what the building owner can do, while the local register is stricter.
“The fact they’re on the local register gives you the design review,” Beeman said.
Beeman said there are options other than demolition, and Public Works Director Todd Ableman added that because the carriage house is not a major structure, it could simply be moved. After discussion, the commission directed city staff to look into the feasibility of moving the carriage house.
The decision to hold a special meeting in July was due to the need to make a decision on Eta Psi’s application within 45 days of it coming before the commission, which meets every 60 days.
The commission approved another application for certificate of appropriateness for improvements to the Rubey Kelly House, located at 202 D St. Applicant John Wilson’s daughter Katie purchased the home last summer at a foreclosure auction, and after they were able to gain entry to the home found many items needed repairs.
“I guess in foreclosure you get a lot of surprises,” John Wilson said.
Wilson presented a detailed plan for work to be done in phases through 2018, making the home more useable inside while maintaining its historical appeal outside.
“We want to keep the character of the house outside, but to do it right it really needs to be torn into,” Wilson said.
The commission also received an update from city staff on the SEPA review comments and mitigation measures for EWU’s Robert Reid Lab School. The university has applied for an application with the city to demolish the 56-year-old building that served as a training ground for education students, and as an elementary school in the Cheney School District.
City planner Brett Lucas told the commission that the university had already performed an asbestos abatement study and identified areas where the material needed to be removed. The only area of mitigation for the city is in the area of preserving historical information about the building, which is being done by the university’s Archaeological and Historical Services Department.
Commission chair Charles Mutschler said AHS program director Steve Emerson has been working on preserving the information. The process has been aided by the fact that the university owns the original architectural drawings, there are numerous photos from when it was built in 1959 and by a university student project done on Robert Reid a couple years ago.
“It looks like all the pieces are coming together,” Mutschler said.
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.
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