Members of the public are warmly welcomed to join in the following three urgent efforts to preserve these treasured historic sites in South King County:
Seattle Pet Cemetery
Patrons, family and friends of patrons, and residents neighboring the historic Seattle Pet Cemetery (est. 1948 ) at 23646 Military Road South are fighting a ‘non-cemetery use’ massive land use action (inside a burial block with graves) they allege has violated numerous state cemetery laws, damaged the cemetery, disturbed graves, and is endangering public safety. Humans, pets, and K-9 Officer(s) are interred at the small, two-acre 72 year old historic cemetery. Cemetery property owners, Julie and Steve Morris, the cemetery business owner/operator, Gateway Services Inc., and the telecoms corporations, Crown Castle and ATT, did not disclose human remains nor the historic or cultural significance of the property in and around this allegedly unlawful ‘non-cemetery use’ project to King County Permitting Division or the FCC. The cemetery is allegedly operating without a required state license.
With the help of David Bricklin, Land Use and Environmental attorney, a 35-page letter of complaint with multiple attachments was submitted to the Washington State Department of Licensing and Funeral and Cemetery Board. The preservation efforts are backed by the Washington State Department of Archeology & Historic Preservation (DAHP), Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, SoCoCulture, and 4Culture.
How you can help: To help contribute to the legal path forward to reverse the decision to allow the cell installation on the cemetery grounds, go to K-9s, Pets and People Over Profit’s GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com/f/k9s-pets-and-people-over-profit – and if you have further questions about this preservation effort, please contact K9spetsandpeopleoverprofit@gmail.com
Des Moines Masonic Home
Built in 1926, the Des Moines Masonic Home is the most imposing architectural feature on Puget Sound between Seattle and Tacoma.
In 2019, the Masons sold the property with an application for a demolition permit included as a condition of the sale. Now the new owner wants the demo permit renewed, but has revealed no plans for the property.
The public needs to continue to exert pressure on the Des Moines City Council, City Manager, and state electeds to provide all possible support toward a resolution that includes preservation of the building.
How you can help: If you’re interested in joining the effort to encourage preservation of the Des Moines Masonic Home, contact info@sococulture.org – we’ll put you on our mailing list for updates from the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, and we’ll provide you with you some simple advocacy tasks!
Weyerhaeuser Campus
California developer Industrial Realty Group bought the Weyerhaeuser campus in 2016. IRG has a history of successfully repurposing historic properties, which people thought boded well for the campus’s future.
Unfortunately, for this Federal Way location, IRG is pushing hard to build large warehouses on the southeast corner of the campus – this would require clearcutting of forest, and a widening of Weyerhaeuser Way S in order to accommodate the over 900 semis a day that are projected to come into the warehouse development.
This has been met with horror at the national level. Many groups, including the National Trust for Historic Preservation and The Cultural Landscape Foundation, are pushing back.
In a recent letter, Richard Longstreth, professor emeritus at George Washington University and past president of the Society of Architectural Historians, encouraged the owner to pursue alternative schemes that would “allow the salient features of the campus to remain visually dominant.
“No one would condone placing immense warehouses conspicuously on the grounds of Blenheim Palace or Versailles. You are fortunate to have a national treasure, which comes with it the responsibility for well-informed and appropriate stewardship.”
Nevertheless, IRG is continuing to push ahead with the warehouse plan.
How you can help: Please sign this petition signaling your support for campus preservation: http://chng.it/m9y6kMxPPK Also, you can write a letter opposing the warehouse development (and read what other folks from around the country have written). And if you would like to do more to advocate for preserving this international treasure that is located right in our own backyard, contact the Save Weyerhaeuser Campus, at savethecampus@gmail.com