Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall renovation wins town honor

On May 27, the town Historic Preservation Review Board will recognize the Friday Harbor Jehovah’s Witnesses with a Partner’s in Preservation Award for the exterior renovation to the Kingdom Hall, a project completed last November.

Though the hall is young by historic preservation standards, and would not otherwise be considered a local landmark, the HPRB is awarding the congregation a special preservation award: Outstanding Achievement by an Organization to Promote Historic Preservation. This award acknowledges the renovation’s contribution to preserving the historic feel of lower Argyle Avenue.

Mary Jane Anderson, who chairs the HPRB, explained that Jehovah’s Witnesses demonstrated exceptional commitment to the historic district throughout the design and application phases of the project.

“The church’s planning committee clearly read the preservation manual, and closely studied the neighborhood. They wanted to understand the character of the area, and ultimately designed their project so that it would compliment the architectural feel of historic lower Argyle without creating a false or confusing sense of history.”

Anderson invites the congregation, past award recipients and the public to join the HPRB at the award ceremony at May 27, 6 p.m., at 225 Malcolm St. The town’s historic preservation guidelines are online at www.historicfridayharbor.org.

For more information, contact Sandy Strehlou, 378-2810.

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