Doing It Committee
Chair, Kelly Lordan
509 344-1065 or email
Committee Mission
The Doing It Committee brings SPA members and others together on a quarterly basis to do hands-on preservation work-and to have fun!
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October 2011 Doing It Project
The latest Doing-It Project was held in the historic town of Harrington, WA. Pre-painting prep work was done by a group of volunteers who then were served a wonderful lunch and given a great tour of some of Harrington's wonderful historic buildings!
January 2011 Project
Over 50 volunteers showed up to help paint interiors at the Women’s Club, on Spokane’s lower South Hill.  Four sets of rolling scaffolding were employed to paint the 17’ high ceilings of the 40’x60’ Auditorium. Volunteers also helped with cleaning and painting at the Lower Level and balcony.
The Woman’s Club of Spokane first met in 1905. The group, open to all women regardless of income, status or religious affiliations, championed progressive causes like women’s suffrage, social economics, homemaking classes, and cultural events. Our city’s first daycare and kindergarten classes were sponsored by the group and held in various downtown locations.
The group hired Spokane architect G.A. Pehrson (Chronicle Bldg., Paulsen Ctr.) to design a new and larger clubhouse with an auditorium capable of seating 300 people. The building was completed in 1929 at a cost of nearly $40,000.
Special thanks to Stoddard Hodgson, for his help in organizing the volunteers and making the project a success.
September 2010 Doing It Project
Dave Frangione of the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local No. 3 describes changes in mortar formulas over the years and the importance of using the right type.
Volunteers remove rotting mortar and re-point 100 year-old stone walls.
Over 65 volunteers showed up to learn about the "do's and don't" of masonry repairs in historic buildings. White Block Co. of Spokane donated mortar. The Community Colleges of Spokane provided tools and safety equipment. Skilled masons from the Anderson Masonry and the Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local No. 3 shared their knowledge. And City/County HPO Officer Kristen Griffin was on hand to let homeowner's know of historic preservation-related resources in the area. Check out this Spokesman Review article for more information.
July Doing It Project
Students and Parents of Mount St. Michael's Academy turned-out in great numbers
Volunteers prep windows for new paint.
SPA volunteers helped to repair the historic wooden windows at Mount St. Michael's. On Saturday, July 17th, 58 volunteers put in a combined 311 hours toiling on the windows of this 1917 Catholic landmark on a foothill north of Bigelow Gulch. We made phenomenal progress.
April 2010 Doing It Project
Holy Temple Church of God In Christ
A larger turnout included SPA "regulars", members of the congregation, and several newcomers who learned about the project in an excellent front page Spokesman-Review article.
Prepping and painting the northeast entry.
Scraping walls and prepping windows in one of the two classrooms.
Archie Oestericher's dump truck makes quick work of stump removal around the building perimeter.
In 1921 the Second Church of Christ, Scientist commissioned Portland, Oregon Architect George Foote Dunham to design this church. The Contractor P.L. Peterson also built the Hutton Settlement, The Empire State Building and the Chamber of Commerce. The Neo Classical-style edifice was termed “modern” when the church opened in 1922. A new congregation made its home here eight years ago.
For more information call
Gary Lauerman
456-3237
November 2009 SPA "Doing-It" Project
The St. Paul Marketplace
West Central Neighborhood
Built as a meat market in 1905 by Danish immigrant Julius Daneilson, the St. Paul Market was a neighborhood grocery store in the '60's and '70's. It served other purposes subsequently before standing desolate and empty several years. The current owners have listed the building on the Spokane Register of Historic Places and plan to renovate it for a small neighborhood retail space in the front half and living space at the rear. A community garden will be established on their lot to the west, at the corner of Dean and Chestnut. We helped them out by 'demo-ing' approximately 1,500 s.f. of '70's era carpet and grungy lay-in acoustical ceilings (with batts above).
August 2009 "Doing It" Project
 
On Saturday August 1st a crew of 17 volunteers, including Mayor Mary Verner and her granddaughter, braved record 101 degree temperatures to help paint the Historic John and Sonora Smart Dodd House, located in Spokane’s East Central Neighborhood. SPA recognizes and thanks the property owners Bev and Jerry Numbers for all the great historic renovations they’ve undertaken in the neighborhood.
Sonora Smart Dodd was the prominent Spokane artist, poet, civic benefactor and philanthropist best-known nationally as the Founder of Father’s Day. She was also a founding partner and Director of Ball & Dodd Funeral Home. The home was constructed for Sonora and her husband John, an insurance executive, in 1913. It’s a fine example of a simple Craftsman Style Bungalow.
Do you have ideas for an upcoming “Doing-It” project? SPA has plans for another exciting Spring “unveling” project at a historic Hyslop-designed house in the West Central Neighborhood. However, we’re always looking for good projects. Contact Gary Lauerman at 456-3237.
Multiple Doing It Projects for April 2009
Over thirty enthusiastic volunteers attended the spring SPA Doing It project on April 18th in the Logan neighborhood. Several projects were taken on at once—inappropriate aluminum siding removed from a home at 527 E. Nora, yard clean-up and flower planting at same house, and four street trees planted in two different locations.
The siding removal revealed “ghosts” of former decorative rafter tails that the homeowners plan to replace. Also, to support SPA’s large street tree preservation initiative, we planted a total of four red oaks at the Doing It site and at a nearby neighbor’s home. SPA has now planted 13 majestic red oaks in the Logan Neighborhood to help further preservation of historic landscapes. A special thank you to Spokane City Arborist Jeff Perry for again helping SPA with his hands-on, educational tree planting instructions and “shovel-ready” attitude! The project was concluded with the homeowners’ providing a bar-b-que lunch for the volunteers.
Fun and Dirt at Interplayers, January 2009
Thirty-plus volunteers met on January 24th to give a helping hand to Interplayers Theatre, located in the historic Eagles building in downtown Spokane. After a tour of the building, workers divided up into teams and got busy painting the upstairs lobby, cleaning and painting the trim in the reception room, sorting the wardrobe area, and clearing out items no longer needed. Once again the old Doing It motto was noted: Getting dirty can be a lot of fun!
Furthering the Cause for Spokane's Large Canopy Street Trees, October 2008
The recent, quarterly Doing It large-street-tree-planting project was a BIG HIT! It was a crisp and beautiful October day when 36 volunteers were fed coffee and muffins and prepared to dig holes and plant trees! Also lending a planting hand were Jeff Perry, Garth Davis, Mike Sanborn, and Angel Spell, all local civic arborists/foresters. Their knowledge and manpower was invaluable for this project. A total of eight majestic red oaks were planted street-side at four homes in the historic Logan Neighborhood. Jeff Perry, Spokane's head arborist, gave a super, hands-on instructional tree planting primer for all to learn how to correctly plant a tree. We finished off the project with a chili feed for all the volunteers and there was talk about doing this kind of project again next year. Is your neighborhood interested? Let Susan Traver know and maybe we can start planning now!
Previous Projects
A group of about 15 hard-working volunteers appeared at a house at 2027 W. Shannon for the June Doing-It project. Volunteers set up scaffolding in preparation for "unveiling" this historic home; they took off inappropriate aluminum siding to reveal the original wood siding underneath. The aluminum siding was even recycled, which meant having to de-nail it. The volunteers swarmed over the house, removing siding from porches, balconies, and even from the highest pediments. SPA provided breakfast and the homeowner provided a delicious barbeque lunch, but volunteers worked beyond the designated time to complete the job; the homeowner was delighted. The house now revealed its original wooden details, which makes it eligible for the National and Local registers of Historic Places.
 About 40 people showed up for SPA's January 2008 Doing It project at the Masonic Center. Members toured several of the architecturally interesting rooms, including seldom-seen features like multistory fly-lofts, collapsible stage steps (orchestra pit), secret corridors & beautiful museum-like chambers which have been in use nearly 100 years. Volunteers then set to work cleaning some of the historic canvas scene drops stored above the stage by gently vacuuming them. Others cleaned a section of the plaster wall in the auditorium to expose its original appearance.
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