Colfax aiming for historic designation

Construction crews work on the exterior of the former Glaser’s building recently. The space is being renovated as the new location of the Carpenter, McGuire & DeWulf law firm. The law firm is set to open its doors in January.

Colfax’s Unified Executive Director Valoree Gregory has reported that she is seeking to have Colfax designated as a historic downtown through the Washington Historic Preservation Commission. The designation would be a part of the Main Street program Colfax is enrolled in.

Gregory said it would be one more tool for downtown business owners.

“It helps the building owners get tax credits when they do improvements on their buildings,” she said.

Gregory said the area the designation would cover would be from about Steve’s Glass on the northern end of town to the post office at the southern end.

Gregory cited the renovations at the former Glaser’s building on S. Main Street where the new Carpenter, McGuire & DeWulf law firm will open in January. She said they will qualify for credits with the improvements ongoing there.

“They’ll have to keep all their receipts to get credit,” she said.

Gregory said the historical designation would help to ensure that Colfax store fronts keep a historical feel.

“Just to be deemed as a historical district downtown helps us to keep the theme,” she said. “Let’s keep what we have. We don’t want to all of a sudden go space age. The Main Street program is really all about preserving the past.”

Gregory said former City Administrator Mike Rizzitiello was working on the application prior to his departure to College Place last month for the same position there. Gregory is not sure how far he got in the process, or if he may have even submitted the application prior to leaving Colfax.

“I’m trying to find out how far he got,” she said.

Gregory also noted the designation could help the city when applying for grants. It is another boost to list on applications, she said. Nick Vann with the department of archaeology in Olympia has visited Colfax to do assessments on downtown buildings. Gregory said he has been assisting with the process.

The designation will put Colfax’s downtown on the state registry, but not on the national registry of historic places. The Perkins House is included on the national registry.