Old buildings worth saving -- in a financial sense

The survey, which eventually will cover the whole city, said the Pittsburgh appears to meet criteria for national and city historic designations. It's one tool officials are using to nudge building owners toward preservation.

"If you are a property owner, it just gives you some idea in terms of making future plans for the site," said Karen Gordon, Seattle's historic preservation officer.

Another study, which state and local preservation officials released Monday, aims to show that historic designation makes financial sense.

"I think everybody understands the sort of intrinsic cultural value of historic preservation," said Allyson Brooks, the state's historic preservation officer.

Preservationists believed there is economic value as well, she said. "But we never actually quantified it" before.

The study found homes in designated historic districts appreciated as fast or faster than others, while historic preservation and so-called "heritage tourists" create hundreds of millions of dollars in spending and thousands of jobs each year.

Federal and state historic designations do not restrict use of property. Seattle landmark designation means building owners must take proposed changes to the city's Landmarks Preservation Board.

Concern that new city rules allowing denser development downtown would lead to more demolition of historic buildings compelled at least one local organization to act.

Historic Seattle, a non-profit preservation organization, pushed for a city study now under way of historic buildings downtown and successfully pursued landmark status earlier this year for the Eitel Building, a seven-story, 102-year-old office building at 1501 Second Ave.

The problem is that zoning allows historic buildings to be replaced with much larger ones, said John Chaney, Historic Seattle's executive director. "Those buildings aren't becoming more valuable in comparison to the land that is underneath them."

If the city's study points the way for preservationists looking for buildings that might qualify for historic status, it also could give useful notice to owners. Demolitions must go through the city's environmental review, which takes in historic preservation.

"It really is for a developer an early warning system," Gordon said.

AT A GLANCE

A new state study on the economic effect of historic preservation found:

Homes in historic districts in Bellingham, Ellensburg, Spokane and Tacoma appreciated as fast as or faster than others, while gaining prestige and access to tax incentives.

$83.5 million spent to rehabilitate historic buildings each year from 2000 through 2004 generated about $220 million a year in sales and $8.9 million in state sales taxes as those dollars circulated through the economy and supported about 2,320 jobs paying $87 million a year.

"Heritage tourists" spent 8.7 million days and about $633 million in Washington in 2004, supporting about 20,000 jobs paying $510 million, and contributing $67 million in state taxes.

The state commissioned the study from consultant Tetra Tech EC, of Bothell, and William Beyers, a geography professor at the University of Washington. For more details, go to www.oahp.wa.gov

For more information on Queen's Court condominiums: www.qccondo.com

P-I reporter Aubrey Cohen can be reached at 206-448-8362 or aubreycohen@seattlepi.com.

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