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Coeur d'Alene marks Historic Preservation Month with awards and Garden District national listing
Summary
The city opened May observances with a May 6 proclamation and highlighted storefront restoration, cemetery tours and a new National Register listing for the Garden District; the Historic Preservation Commission and local partners led events.
Coeur d'Alene opened Historic Preservation Month with a proclamation at its May 6 City Council meeting and capped the observance with a Garden District listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
Kiki Miller, a City staff member, read the proclamation at the May 6 meeting. Walter Burns, chairman of the Historic Preservation Commission, accepted the proclamation on the commission’s behalf.
The city partnered with the Museum of North Idaho and the Music Conservatory of Coeur d'Alene for a series of events that included a reception at the Northern Pacific Railway Depot and the presentation of the Heart of History award to the owner of the downtown jeweler at 307 East Sherman. Jane Clark accepted the award on behalf of Clark’s Jewelers, recognized in the program for preserving the shop’s historic storefront, interior and street clock. According to remarks at the reception, Clark’s Jewelers has operated in downtown Coeur d'Alene since 1907; the building was built in 1905 and was first occupied by the American Trust Company. The street clock was installed in 1924 and has been maintained by the property’s stewards.
Cash Matheson, a Coeur d'Alene tribal member, offered welcoming remarks at the reception. Jeffrey Seltow, described in the program as a tribal member and language expert, performed a blessing and a song in the Coeur d'Alene language. "This song is actually for everybody here, for the land, for [the] creator to come down. Bless us one time," Seltow said; a program note provided a rough translation saying the song calls on the creator and expresses gratitude for what has been given.
Other Preservation Month activities noted in the city’s recap included a Mother’s Day tea at the Hamilton House, cemetery tours highlighting notable women, and outreach at the Fifth Street Farmer’s Market to promote preservation awareness. Mayor Woody McKevers used the recent state of the city address to describe a new city demolition review process intended to encourage homeowners and businesses to salvage historic elements before structures are removed.
The month concluded with the Garden District being commemorated as a neighborhood listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The city’s information on the Historic Preservation Commission and a summary of Preservation Month events are available on the City of Coeur d'Alene website.
