2007 - Reviewing the Record on Shoreline Historical Museum

In King County an agency called 4Culture oversees
 funding to historical and cultural assets.

In 2007 the following article was published which shows some of the public investment made in the Shoreline Historical Museum and the "intent" of the Museum to keep faith with the public to restore the Ronald School. This was always the underlying intent and Landmarking the building was also always the long term goal.

Shoreline Historical Museum in the Landmarked Ronald School

Restoration of Ronald School Takes

 Another Step Forward- (2007 report)

January 25, 2007 - The Shoreline Historical Museum in Shoreline has taken the next step in a quarter-century effort to restore the historic Ronald School, the oldest public structure in northwestern King County. The museum has completed work on the original wood cornice of the building's west side, which will bring the structure closer to a full restoration by the school's centenary in 2012.

Though the cornice work by itself seems minor, it is important to the long-term plan for listing as an historic landmark. The Museum, which owns the former elementary school, first proposed the building as a King County landmark in 1988. But major modifications in the 1950s and 1960s prevented its listing, so supporters embarked on a restoration effort. The first work was completed in 1994, and the project reached a milestone when the exterior portico and a balustrade were restored in 1998. Other work has included safety upgrades and disabled access improvements. The cornice work, funded in part with a $9,000 4Culture Landmark Rehabilitation Program grant in 2006, was finished in the summer of 2006.

Vicki Stiles, executive director of the Shoreline Historical Museum, says the project has reached a critical point. In 2007, the museum board plans to apply for status as a King County landmark, a state landmark, and a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. "The building is as close to its original condition as it's been in the past 40 years," she says.

And the project won't end there. Stiles says the next restoration phases include seismic upgrades, rebuilding the bell cupola, and replacing aluminum-framed windows with wood-framed windows. The estimated total cost of the project is approximately $3 million. Once completed, the Ronald School will be a centerpiece of the Shoreline community, Stile says.

For more information on the Ronald School and the Shoreline Historical Museum, contact Vicki Stiles at 206.542.7111.