Photos by clare jensen
THE BARN AT NELSON FARM PARK IN EDGEWOOD IS CURRENTLY BEING NOMINATED TO THE STATE’S HERITAGE BARN REGISTER.
Edgewood’s own Nelson Farm Barn may make the cut as one of Washington’s historic barns.
Representatives from Tacoma’s Artifacts Consulting have been working with the city of Edgewood over the past year to make a formal nomination to the State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation.
The nomination packet will be submitted to the state on September 17 and formal designations will be made in February 2011.
The Nelson Farm Barn is one of about 25 other barns in Pierce County being nominated to join the state Heritage Barn Register this year.
Susan Johnson, architectural historian for Artifacts Consulting, said most nominations will ultimately make the cut onto the Historic Barn Register unless the structure is severely damaged, because being on the register is mostly an honorary title.
However, it does have its perks.
Being placed on the register could be beneficial to the future of the Nelson Farm Park’s capabilities, as being recognized as a Heritage Barn allows the structures to qualify for a variety of state restoration and preservation grants.
“Any barn that is listed as a Heritage Barn can apply for competitive matching grants through the state under House Bill 2115,” Johnson said. “Grants are meant to help barn owners preserve, stabilize or rehabilitate barns.”
As of May 2010, there are 422 designated Heritage Barns in Washington State, and 32 in Pierce County.
Since 2008, nearly $750,000 has been awarded to 31 of these barns across the state for restoration and preservation projects, according to Chris Moore, field director for the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.
In Edgewood’s case, gaining future preservation and restoration grants could help the city move towards its goal of turning the existing farm park into a site for a demonstration farm with a live-in caretaker, an idea that has been discussed since 2007.
Barns being nominated by Artifacts Consulting this year come from rural agricultural areas such as Graham, Roy and Orting in addition to Edgewood.
Barns listed in the Heritage Barn Register are all more than 50 years old and retain a significant degree of historic and architectural integrity.
Find out more about the state’s Heritage Barn Register at http://www.dahp.wa.gov/pages/HistoricSitesHeritageBarnRegister.htm.
Commenting rules
Milton-Edgewood Signal is happy to provide a forum for commenting and discussion. Please respect and abide by the house rules:
Keep it clean, keep it civil, keep it truthful, stay on topic, be responsible, share your knowledge, and please suggest removal of comments that violate these standards.
Read full commenting rules