North Olympic History Center Campus

Research Library

The Research Library is the place to access the resources of the Center. The library is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., or by appointment. Call (360) 452-2662 to schedule a visit or for more information.

Directions: from W. 8th Street in Port Angeles, turn south onto B Street, then right onto 9th Street between the school district buildings. Go past the two paved parking areas on the right, and turn right into the gravel lot on the south side of Lincoln School.

You will find staff to assist you in your search for photographs, maps, obituaries, oral histories and much more.

Archives Storage Facility

Our Archives Storage Facility is in the old Lincoln School gymnasium. The building is not generally open to the public, however special tours can be arranged by calling the Center. The archives are geared specifically to the history of the North Olympic Peninsula. Donations related to our local history may be accepted, or assistance given in finding a more appropriate home for treasures that should be preserved.

In 2019, NOHC began a multi-phase project of installing archival shelving on rails. The new system only mazimized the use of space, but provides more secure, and yet easy access to artifacts. Below is a photo showing the new storage. Note tracks on the floor that the shelving moves on by an easy turn of the handle. One or more shelves can be rolled at the same time, opening up an access aisle between any two shelves.

Also located in the Archives building is our administrative office.

Lincoln School

NORTH OLYMPIC HISTORY CENTER TO DEMOLISH
LINCOLN SCHOOL BUILDING

Decision reached after more than three years of research, community outreach.

PORT ANGELES, Wash., November 22, 2023 — The board of the North Olympic History Center (NOHC) announced today it is moving ahead with demolishing the former Lincoln Elementary School building at 926 W. 8th Street.

"This was a very difficult decision, but it comes after more than three years of researching alternative uses, gathering cost estimates for renovation and conducting extensive community outreach to seek possible partners or purchasers for the Lincoln School," said Bill Brigden, President of the Board of Directors. "In the end, we determined that the best course for the viability and success of the NOHC was its removal. Financial realities, in the end, were more compelling than emotional ones.."

The NOHC is in the process of establishing a timeframe for the demolition process as well as exploring opportunities for recycling building components.
Despite investing a half-million dollars into stabilizing the building since purchasing the school in 1991, including constructing a new roof, internal structure enhancement, and pouring a new concrete floor, the NOHC has been unable to halt the rapid deterioration of the 107-year-old unreinforced masonry building.

The most recent estimate for restoring Lincoln School is about $12 million — a sum that vastly exceeds NOHC resources. At approximately $1,000 per square foot, this amount is also far greater than the cost of new construction, making it a commercially unattractive project for any real estate investor.

Indeed, the NOHC received no responses to a widely distributed RFP from investors, property developers, real estate agents, or businesses. The very limited proposals received from nonprofit organizations interested in the property did not support the long-term goals of the organization, nor improve our financial position.

“Our analysis showed that a historical museum in the Lincoln School building would never be financially supportable, even if restoration costs were ignored," said NOHC Executive Director David Brownell. "Expanding public access to our collection by continually digitizing and adding new material to our online catalog, enhancing our educational programing and working with community partners to create and install public displays in the busy downtown corridor and other highly trafficked areas are furthering our mission in ways the Lincoln School cannot."

The NOHC understands the community's interest in and sentiment for the Lincoln Elementary School building. Clearly, this was a difficult decision. However, it will enable the NOHC to focus on its primary mission and to rededicate our time and resources to those projects and programs that fulfill it.