Manito Park, boulevard gain historic designation

Manito Park and adjoining Manito Boulevard have been approved for listing on the Washington Heritage Register.

The action came during a meeting of the Washington State Governor’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in Dayton, Washington, on Oct. 16.

In addition to approving the park and boulevard for the state register, the advisory council referred the nomination to the National Park Service for proposed listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Manito Park nomination is being accompanied by a “multiple-property documentation” that will allow the city Parks Department to seek additional park listings on historic registers.

The documentation can provide an umbrella of research to tie together different park listings in the future.

There are nearly 100 city park holdings, including large conservation areas along the Spokane River, park-like boulevards and neighborhood parks.

Parks officials have said they intend to set money aside in coming budgets to provide funding for continued park listings.

The idea in part is to call attention to the historic significance of Spokane’s large park system.

In Browne’s Addition, the Friends of Coeur d’Alene Park is planning a celebration next year of the 125th anniversary of that park being deeded to the city as the first city-owned park property.

Also, the state advisory council approved listing the George and Blanche Christensen House, 1329 E. Overbluff Road, on the Washington Heritage Register.

That nomination was also sent to the park service for proposed listing on the national register.

The 1926 Christensen House is a Tudor Revival “Storybook” home that was part of a historic home tour in September. It was placed on the Spokane historic register in 2007 and has been carefully restored.