Over the last few years
several Boy Scout
related properties have
been threatened with
demolition. I'm not
sure what is going on at
the national or regional
level.... maybe its just
coincidence... but it
seems odd. ...
At the very least, Finch
Lodge needs to be
evaluated by a
professional cultural
resource specialist to
determine the historical
significance of the
Lodge. While I have
never visited the site,
based on your website,
which provides
historical and current
images of the building
as well as some brief
history, in my opinion
the Lodge is eligible
for the National
Register of Historic
Places. The Lodge not
only has direct ties to
the history of the Boy
Scouts and the
development of Camp
Cowles, it represents
the work of noted
architect Julius Zittel.
Zittel, who passed away
in 1939, was the first
designated architect for
Washington State
and designed many
important public
buildings on the east
side of the state from
the 1890s through the
1920s. Finch Lodge
appears to be an
excellent example of his
work.
Michael
Houser
Architechtural
Historian, DAHP