I have always loved old buildings. As a young person I adopted the motto “No new buildings until all the old ones are fixed up!”
Strange kid, huh? I think I came by this from my mother, who loved old stuff, from antiques to salvaged building parts or the cool artifacts that sometimes showed up when we would dig in our yard.
This was long before I had any awareness that people actually did preservation work for a living or as volunteers.
Over time, I adjusted my world view to allow for new construction and fine-tuned my understanding of what makes a structure or site “historic”—worth appreciating and preserving. Today, I can look at a 100-year-old building or a post-war structure and appreciate that each has something to say about America, and even our community, at a given moment in time.
Should they all be saved? No. But, by preserving some, we protect the visual fabric of our community’s character.
By carefully rehabilitating buildings in a way that honors the original ubiquitous building style of their day, we preserve some of the architectural story that will be significant in years ahead. With thoughtful new in-fill construction, we compliment the historic streetscape and welcome quality work that will become the historic landmark of the future.
The Town of Friday Harbor’s Historic Preservation Review Board is made up of ordinary, extraordinary people who volunteer their time to thoughtfully consider the past, the present, and the future of our town. They share their experience, research, and insight with property owners who are looking to fix up old buildings or build new ones in the town.
The Town is currently looking for one person to fill a vacant Historic Preservation Review Board position. It is open to anyone living on San Juan Island who is interested in local history, preservation, and community service.
If you like the way our town has come to look through time, I hope you will write to sstrehlou@fridayharbor.org or call (360) 378-2810.
Sandy Strehlou, historic preservation coordinator
Town of Friday Harbor
