Legislative Threat to Historic Preservation
The Queen Anne Historical Society along with Historic Seattle and the Washington Trust are seriously concerned by a bill introduced in the 2025 state legislative session that threatens local preservation efforts in Washington. House Bill 1576 / Senate Bill 5554 would restrict the way communities are able to designate local landmarks by requiring written owner consent for designation and limiting the age for when a property can be designated (must be more than 40 years old). Passed into law, this bill would seriously hamper our ability to protect the historic buildings of Queen Anne. Seattle’s current landmark ordinance allows the designation of buildings without owner consent and sets 25 year’s as the age when a building can be designated.
Proponents of this legislation who are primarily real estate developers, present this as a “housing supply” bill. We see this statewide bill as an attack on the Seattle Landmark Preservation Ordinance that pits preservation against housing. It is an attempt to weaken a strong preservation program that has preserved and protected Seattle’s historic and cultural resources for over 50 years. The Queen Anne Historical Society firmly believes that not every building should be a landmarked or preserved, but we are adamant about saving and protecting those that are significant. Destroying the character of our communities benefits no one.
Preservation advocates throughout the state are working together to oppose HB 1576 and SB 5554. If you have not already done so, please make your voice heard by emailing or calling your state legislators in the Senate and House ASAP and urge them to vote "NO" on the bills. Find your legislators online here. If you live on Queen Anne, our Representatives are Liz Berry and Julia Reed; our Senator is Noel Frame.
The EASIEST way to voice your opposition is to click separately on both of the links above (House Bill 1576 and Senate Bill 5554). The links take you to the Legislature’s website. Click on the smaller green bar the right side of the page will take you to where you can share your comments with your legislator.
Do it today and thank you!
(Contact Michael Herschensohn at mh9982501@gmail.com, if you have questions.)