Landmarks Board votes to formally consider Charlestown Court for landmark status

Quick update from the city Municipal Tower downtown: The city Landmarks Preservation Board has just voted to approve the nomination of Charlestown Court, the brick fourplex at 3811 California SW, as a potential city landmark. A consultant hired by its owners – who want to demolish it and replace it with eight townhouses – said they don’t think it merits landmark status, a decision reached by the board six years ago when another demolition/redevelopment proposal was pending. (Since more than five years have passed, city reps explained, a new review was warranted.) Today’s vote sets the stage for a final vote on August 6th.

13 Replies to "Landmarks Board votes to formally consider Charlestown Court for landmark status"

  • Diane June 18, 2014 (6:33 pm)

    yay yay yay

  • pupsarebest June 18, 2014 (8:55 pm)

    YES!

  • miws June 18, 2014 (9:09 pm)

    How cool!

    .

    Mike

  • Seattlite June 18, 2014 (9:16 pm)

    Keeping my fingers crossed that Charlestown Court will be saved.

  • ttt June 18, 2014 (10:15 pm)

    I hope it goes through. It is a cool looking building. We have to keep the ones with great character!

  • sgs June 18, 2014 (10:40 pm)

    Interesting to read the 2008 commentary and wonder how the vote will be different this time. It is an interesting quaint building that adds to the character of our neighborhood, so I do hope the vote is yay.

  • WestofJunction June 19, 2014 (6:07 am)

    Okay, for all of you whooping for Landmark status – who is going to be willing to pony up the $ for repairs and restoration of the brick, underwrite the earthquake insurance policy (prohibitive, if available at all on brick and brick faced structures) and subsidize the owner for lost potential value? I’m not for the ugly boxes that are being constructed, but think that the property owner should have the ability to maximize their investment. Perhaps this is to be sold to finance his/her retirement.

  • Gatewooder June 19, 2014 (8:10 am)

    I’m glad that the Landmarks Preservation Board is taking it’s role seriously, since nobody at the Department of Planning and Development seems to be doing so. Based on the decisions of the past several years, DPD should be renamed the “Department of Development” with “Planning” entirely removed from the name.

  • Scott June 19, 2014 (8:12 am)

    There is no way this is a Landmark. Get with the times just because it is old doesn’t mean we need to keep it. Just because you don’t like the buildings that are going to go up doesn’t mean you need to fight to hurt the owner who will indeed loss money.

  • George June 21, 2014 (5:58 pm)

    I am so happy these are being considered, finally! I don’t feel the pain for the land owner. Perhaps it will discourage the snapping up of property for quick tear down and huge profits at the communities expense.

  • Too much June 24, 2014 (11:57 am)

    I like that little courtyard. I’ve always loved this style of home- like little houses built side by side, with a common courtyard for socializing. It’s cool- but I don’t think it’s so special, that control should be wrested away from the owner. If the city feels it’s so important to stop development of this property, they should purchase it from the owner at its ready for development value. Why should the owner take such a significant loss, so that you can walk past these decaying rentals bordering 7-11?

  • West Seattle Lover June 24, 2014 (5:57 pm)

    I walk past these on my morning walk every morning. Tear them down! They are nothing but old brick decapitating apartments that are such an eye sore. In the Winter months they have an old oil furnace heater with black yucky smoke pouring out of them! They need to go! A new bldg and new landscaping would be such a plus for this area! If I were the owner of these apartments, I would be livid at this committee wasting their time on such stupid “Landmarks”. Oh brother! I have some ocean front property to sell them in Nebraska!

  • Ms West Seattle June 24, 2014 (11:22 pm)

    I say keep ’em as is!! West Seattle is already losing so much character with all of these new rebuilds & fancy ugly town homes…Everything NEW isn’t necessarily BETTER!! I am unhappy with all the changes happening here in our little town. The newer residents here care so little about keeping our town unique & small!!

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