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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Hillyard site gets historic nomination

The old Hillyard High School, which was converted to apartments in the 1940s, could soon become one of Spokane’s newest listings on local, state and national historic registers.

The Governor’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation on Friday recommended the northeast Spokane landmark for both the Washington Heritage Register and the National Register of Historic Places. The nomination will be forwarded to the National Park Service for national register consideration.

The building also is up for approval to the Spokane Register of Historic Places by the City Council.

“I think it’s important we start paying attention to this building,” Steve Emerson, a preservation consultant, told the state council, which met in Spokane Friday.

The council also recommended state and national listings for Nettleton’s Addition historic district in northwest Spokane, the Gables on Broadway, known historically as the Spokane Sash and Door Co. Flats at 1302 W. Broadway and the Dr. Robert and Jessie Bell House at 917 S. Lincoln.

If approved, Nettleton’s Addition will become the largest national historic district in the state with 912 historic structures over a 39-block area.

Designation of the Hillyard High School building at 5313 N. Regal is part of a larger economic redevelopment project being undertaken by a private developer in conjunction with nonprofit and government agencies.

The high school was built in 1912 and a large annex was added in 1922. In 1946, it was converted to its present use as an apartment building.

Over the years, the property has been troubled with crime, and had become one of the most frequently visited locations by city police, said Jim Delegans, manager of the renovation project through REM Association, a Spokane nonprofit mental health agency.

Last November, the building was purchased by Martindale Place LLC for $750,000, which teamed up with Spokane Community Housing Association as a 1 percent owner and REM Association as manager.

The community housing organization provided eligibility for federal grants to help finance $3.8 million in renovations over the next five years. The grants were obtained through the city, county and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Delegans said.

Historic designations can provide federal tax credits and local property tax breaks.

Half of the building’s 52 units will offer subsidized rents for low-income residents while the other half of the units will be available at market rent.

Construction work will include restoration of the original 13-foot ceilings; renovation of the original facade; and installation of an elevator.

Mental health professionals will staff the building and provide a link to social services.

“It will be a first-class project when we get done,” said Delegans, who has been involved in renovations of other older buildings in Spokane. “It’ll be a safe place to live.”