The Gladish Community and Cultural Center:A Case for Preservation

By Jeff Waters

Contents

What should be preserved. pgs. 1-2

Current and past renovations. pgs. 3-5

Needed renovations. pgs. 6-9

What Should be Preserved:

A Case of Historical Amalgamation:The Gladish Community and Cultural Center is a conglomeration of several styles of building The Gladish Community and Cultural Center is a conglomeration of several styles of building created over more than thirty years of planning and construction. The oldest portion of the

building was constructed in 1929, while the newest is from 1954. The styles are mismatched and there is an overall lack of coherancy with the structure. Building sections are bued next to each other with lile regard for the existing structure. Brick courses do not line up, and detailing is in-

consistant throughout the facade.

Because of this lack of uniformity, the Gladish building should not be regarded as a significant exBecause of this lack of uniformity, the Gladish building should not be regarded as a significant ex-ample of an architectural style. Also, the building was not designed by an notable architect. As

such, the actual structure may not be the most important part of this center.

1

What Should be Preserved:

A Center For Culture and Community:The Gladish Community and Cultural Center has been home to many Pullman organizations The Gladish Community and Cultural Center has been home to many Pullman organizations since it was purchased by the Friends of Gladish from the Pullman School District in 1997. These organizations aim to provide services to the community which they serve, and range from

schools, to dance and music programs, to religious groups. The Friends of Gladish has been able to keep the building rented by enough tenants since its purchase to continue maintaing the build-

ing and constantly update it as needed. The culture and community provided by these tenants, and those who patronize them is what should be aempted to be preserved here. The building is an important mainstay in the commu-nity not because of its architectural history or quality, but because of the culture it provides as a

space for people to come together.

The current tenants of the Gladish Center include:Early Learning ServicesKiwanis Club of PullmanThe Learning CenterThe Learning Center

Beta Cruz Massage TherapyMontessori School of Pullman

Plateua Archeaological InvestigationsPullman Kokondo Academy

The Washington Idaho SymphonyWhitman County Genealogical SocietyBliss Studios Movement SanctuaryBliss Studios Movement Sanctuary

Community Colleges of Spokane: Whitman County CampusWSU/Pullman International Folk DancersWhitman County Historical SocietySanathan Dharma Center of the Palouse

Weight WatchersYogatopia

The center also has several spaces which are frequently rented for meetings and events.

2

Current and Past Renovations:

2006 ADA accessible building entrance.

3

Foot Brigde and New Main EntranceIn 2006 The Friends of Gladish added a foot bridge, built a new main entrance to the building, and added an elevator. This renovation brought the building up to ADA accessibility standards as well connected the building directly to the main parking lot. This renovation also allowed the original main entrance to be used less which in turn saved the original wood work from excessive

use.

The original entrance which has been allowed to remain softly used.

Current and Past Renovations:

4

Roof Repairs:The entire roof of the Gladish building is in need of repair. There are leaks throughout the

building, and some of the structure of the roof has been subjected to water damage. The Friends of Gladish has began repairing the lower portions of the roof, and plans to move to the main roof

once the current project is completed.

Current and Past Renovations:

New Windows on North Facade:The windows on the north facade of the building were replaced with vinyl double pane windows in 2009 in an aempt to help reduce the heat losses due to the single pane existing windows. The building has heating issues caused by poor insulation, outdated windows, and an inefficient

heating plant. The exterior walls are made of concrete faced with brick, if walls were built inside the existing structure that could be insulated, this would also reduce heating costs.

5

Needed Renovations

Community Colleges of Spokane: Whitman County Center:Rojer Hays, the director of the college, outlined several changes he would like to see made to the Rojer Hays, the director of the college, outlined several changes he would like to see made to the spaces occupied by the college. The wiring needs to be updated and enclosed in a soffit of some type of wall, such as the aforementioned insulation walls. Another renovation that would benifit the collge would be to build a deck off of the student lounge for an outdoor lounge space. The largest project Hays would like to see undertaken is to add skylights to the main hallways on the third floor in order to brighten the space and reduce lighting costs. This could be done in

conjunction with the much needed roof repairs.

These hallways would benifit greatly from adding skylights to add natural light to the space

6

Needed Renovations

7

The Royal Garrison School:Pat Warwick of the Royal Garrison School expressed that the school is happy with their spaces, Pat Warwick of the Royal Garrison School expressed that the school is happy with their spaces, but would like to see a few changes done. The school needs more storage in all of the rooms that it rents, this would be used for classroom materials. The only major renovation that she outlined is that the school would like to see room 211 divided into two separate spaces with a moveable partition wall. As it is the room is much larger than is normally neccessary and it would be

benefitial if it could be used for two different purposes sumultaneously. This could easily be done by adding a moveable wall to the center of the room, there is already a three foot wide structural

member on the exterior wall which the partition could be aached to.member on the exterior wall which the partition could be aached to.

More storage will help the school be able to avoid situations like this. All of these books belong to the school and are

used for teaching.

The school would like to divide this room into two spaces.

Needed Renovations

8

The school would like to see a library built in this room to house all of the books and give places to read.

The school would like to have this space divided into a dining area and a play area.

Montessori School of PullmanDanica Allen of the Montessori School gave a list of renovations they would like to see done. Several minor problems and additions such as adding a dishwasher and repairing the plumbing were addressed. The two main renovations the school would like are to separate the lunch area into two separate spaces for lunch and for play times. The other is to have a dedicated library

built to house the schools books and give a quiet place for reading.

Needed Renovations

9

The AuditoriumThe auditorium at the Gladish Center is used primarily as the home for the Washington Idaho The auditorium at the Gladish Center is used primarily as the home for the Washington Idaho Symphony, but this is not the only user of this space. There are many music and dance recitals held here of all levels, local theater groups often perform here, and anyone else who needs such a space is able to rent the auditorium. As such, this is the most publicly used space in the building aside from the smaller conference rooms which are open to rent by the public. Renovations done here would not only benefit the Symphony, but the entire community who uses this space. The auditorium would benefit from updating the acoustics; noise coming into and out of the room could be reduced with basic noise reduction techniques. The seating should be upgraded to be could be reduced with basic noise reduction techniques. The seating should be upgraded to be more comfortable, and could be rearranged to hold more guests. Finally the lighting is somewhat

outdated and certain events would benefit from lighting upgrades.

Acknowledgements

Allen, Danica. Personal Interview by Jeffrey Waters. 4/30/11. 4/30/11.

Garretson, Edwin P. Personal Interview by Jeffrey Waters. 4/17/11. 4/18/11.

Hayes, Rojer. Personal Interview by Jeffrey Waters. 4/30/11. 4/30/11.

The Gladish School. Garretson, Edwin P. Whitman County Historical Society Ar-chive. Gladish Collection. 1978.

Warwick, Patricia. Personal Interview by Jeffrey Waters. 4/30/11. 4/30/11.

all photos taken by Jeffrey Waters