Des Moines Beach Park

Originally homesteaded in the 1800s, this former lumber mill and children’s play ground was sold to the Evangelical Covenant Church in 1931. This project was the structural restoration and renovation of 5 flood-damaged buildings built by the church. A designated National Historic District, the scope of structural service included flood damage evaluation, design of emergency temporary shoring, structural design of new foundations, walls, and other elements to mitigate future flood damage, design of permanent structural repairs and full renovation of the buildings including seismic rehabilitation. The rehabilitation of the dining hall involved lifting the structure off of its original foundation and supporting it above the flood elevation on a new pile foundation. Because the Dining Hall is within the boundaries of the salmon bearing Des Moines Creek, construction on this portion of the project had to be completed from within a 2-month summer fish window. This part of the project was completed with BOLA.

Additional projects with David A Clark Architects included the evaluation, renovation, and retrofit of the restroom building; and the evaluation and renovation of the picnic shelter.

The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation has more information in their newsletter, Trust News, page 9.