AN ORDINANCE relating to historic preservation; imposing controls upon the Sunset Telephone & Telegraph Exchange, a landmark designated by the Landmarks Preservation Board under Chapter 25.12 of the Seattle Municipal Code, and adding it to the Table of Historical Landmarks contained in Chapter 25.32 of the Seattle Municipal Code.
Excellent. Thank you. Please read agenda item number four. Oh, scuse me. Let me say this for officially the bill passes and the chair will sign it. Please read agenda item number three into the record. Agenda item three Council Bill 119 748 Relating to historic preservation, imposing controls upon the Sunset Telephone and Telegraph Exchange, a landmark design by the Landmarks Preservation Board under Chapter 25.12. I misspoke. Code now into the table of historical landmarks contained in Chapter 25.32 of the Master Code. The committee recommends the bill pass. Excellent, Councilmember Strauss. Thank you. In addition to having seven items before full council today, we have also had four in district walking tours with small businesses, helped over 30 constituents and met with 28 different constituents in district. Now speaking to Council Bill 119748, imposing controls upon the sunset telephone and tough graph exchange. This legislation imposes controls on the site and the exterior of the building, which was built in the neoclassical style. And this building was also designated as a landmark mark by the Landmarks Preservation Board in June. The structure was built in 1905 to serve as one of Seattle's earliest telephone exchange buildings. And it's significant to women's labor history because of its role as a workplace for many women. At a time when there were few employment opportunities for women, after it was a telephone exchange, the this was used as a masonic lodge. Masonic lodge two for two purchased the building in 1924 and occupied the space for ever for the next nine decades. Today the building sits vacant and is unreinforced masonry, and I also share the sentiments of Councilmember Herbold and Morales regarding unreinforced masonry. And so these controls will help preserve the building while while it is remodeled and seismically retrofitted. Excellent. Thank you very much, Councilmember Strauss. I really appreciate in your committee how you called for additional attention to the historic use of it. And I think Councilmember Lewis also was pointing out that there had been previous buildings that had plaque. So that's correct. To call out the previous historical usage. So love the connection there to building on our history of strong women occupying that building. Any additional comments? Yes, Councilmember Lewis. Yeah. Just really briefly, to echo comments that I made this morning during briefing, fully support this bill, this before us today. I think it's a really great example of how we can increase housing density in some of our neighborhoods while also protecting and expanding the esthetic character of the neighborhoods through the unique identities that some of these buildings bring in, in terms of the not only how they look, but also the unique history that some of them bring to our neighborhoods. I think it's something that as a council, we should continue to incentivize and work with folks to bring forward because it really is a a unique way to introduce more density. The fact that this building is now going to turn into two townhomes where it was a not frequently used in recent years meeting center for the Masons is a step in the right direction and fully look forward to voting for this today. Excellent. Thank you very much, Councilmember Lewis. Any additional comments since then? Please call the roll on the passage of the bill. Peterson Hi, Suzanne Strauss. Herbold Hi, Lewis. I'm Morales. I'm President Macheda I seven and Fabian unopposed. The bill passes and the chair will sign it. Madam Clerk, please read agenda items four and five into the record.