GUSTO FOR ART AND HISTORICAL PRESERVATION

By Rick Steigmeyer - The Wenatchee World - 12.11.2009

WENATCHEE - Kris Bassett remembers looking on nervously as the huge crane eased its fragile cargo of stone, concrete and stucco-covered wood onto a flatbed trailer. "That's it. It's going to be a pile of rubble," said Bassett, 58, the city's soon-to-retire historical preservationist. Instead, the skillful crane operator set the 27,000-pound bundle down as gently as if he was handling a newborn baby. The diesel tractor fired up and safely transported the old Memorial Hall World War I veterans' grave section of the Wenatchee Cemetery. Built in 1940, the monument has been the target of vandals and graffiti artists since it has stood alone next to a vacant lot where Memorial Hall once stood. The hall was destroyed by arson in 2002. Overseeing the moving and preservation of the monument is only the most recent of hundreds of diversified tasks Bassett has managed in her career as the city of Wenatchee's historic preservation officer and special projects coordinator for the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center. The moving project, which took place Dec. 2, is probably also her last hands-on preservation project. She retires after 22 years with the city, 16 years with the museum, at the end of this year. Since she'll be taking her accumulated vacation time, her last day of work will be Thursday. Friends are invited to a send-of party from 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 18 at the museum. She's also retiring from her job as city liaison to the Wenatchee Arts Commission. She was the city's first historical preservation official and the only one in North Central Washington. Her many roles will be divvied up between the city's planning department and museum staff, said Brenda Abney, museum director. "She's had a tremendous impact on this community," Abney said. "She transformed our space with public art and preserved our history with our buildings. Not everyone right off the bat sees the value of preserving old buildings. We're way ahead of a lot of other communities due to her passion. She takes everything on with gusto." As staff liaison to the city's Historic Preservation Board, Bassett has developed and maintained the Wenatchee Register of Historic Places. She nominated and guided designation for all 67 commercial and residential properties now on the register as well as the 147-property Grandview Historic District. She works with property owners, the preservation board and city staff to review restoration projects to make sure history is preserved. She also helps property owners find tax breaks for maintaining and improving historical buildings. "Every city has those structures that define the community. The art and history of this area is considerable. It's what brings people here. You can't get those things anymore," said Bassett. Developers rarely put the kind of detail and materials into new construction that was affordable in the early 20th century, she said. When a classic building is torn down or carelessly remodeled, she said that history is lost forever. Bassett said she got an early appreciation for old things from her mother, an antique collector and furniture restorer. She grew up in Spokane, majored in art and studied history at Central Washington University in Ellensburg. She bought and restored her first historic house there, faithfully renewing it down to the muslin-over-wood-plank walls. "I thought that's what you had to do," she said She moved to Wenatchee and was hired by the city as administrative assistant to the public works director in 1987. In her free time, she volunteered for the museum on a survey of historic homes that later became the Grandview District. She continued the historical survey work downtown after she was hired by the museum in 1993. Her city job became more focused on historical preservation in 1994, after the state's historical registration began. She's most proud of having a hand in the dramatic renovation of the downtown shopping area over the last 20 years. Building owners have invested millions of dollars to restore buildings to their original charm, and it's starting to pay off with more shoppers attracted to the area each year, she said. "I go downtown and every cornice and detail of every building speaks to me. Everything has a charm that was built there for a reason," she said. "I'm not going to find anything that speaks to me in a big-box store."

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