This ‘beautiful place’ in Pierce County made the historic preservation list. Here’s how
The Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation recently added the Chapel on Echo Bay to the Washington Heritage Register.
The list contains districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects that show significance to the state.
The application process is all owner driven. Owners submit applications nominating themselves to become part of the register. Julie Herling, a volunteer at the Fox Island chapel (also known as the First Congregational Church of Sylvan) submitted an application for the chapel to be on the list.
The Governor’s Advisory Council reviews the applications and decides whether the historic preservation meets criteria to be accepted. This committee only meets three times a year to review applications.
To get on the list the historic preservation needs to be over 50 years old, have a high level of architecture integrity (it should be fairly original inside and out) and it needs to have a story to tell, Michael Houser, state architectural historian at the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation told The Gateway this month.
Herling submitted the application for the Chapel on Echo Bay late last year. The church was built in 1900. It was designated on the official list March 15, 2022.
The nomination completed by Herling examines all aspects she thought supported its chance to be accepted.
“For this particular church, it’s that classic rural church that you might find in Washington that has all those distinctive characteristics. It’s certainly a landmark on an island and points to early history of those who settled there,” Houser said.
“Our building is almost all original like the structure and the windows. It is still in great shape,” Rick Nahum, treasurer at the chapel, told The Gateway Friday. “It’s a beautiful place. The committee keeps up with all the flowers and gardening. The rest are all volunteers that help to keep this place the way it is. The neighbor across the street is actually the one who mows the yard.”
22 years ago the building turned solely into a chapel and the church moved down the street, according to Nahum. The chapel typically puts on 40-50 weddings per year throughout April-September.
Each year the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation receives about 20-30 applications for the register. From the last wave of applications, the Chapel on Echo Bay was one of six accepted. There are about 900 properties on the register, according to Houser.
The chapel has been a part of the separate Pierce County Register of Historic Places since 2006.
“I don’t know anything older than this place on the island. There has been very little changes to this building,” Nahum told The Gateway. “We are very happy to now be on the state register. There’s not another place in the area that is on it.”
This story was originally published June 6, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
