World War II-era buildings soon MIA

SHORELINE — Ten World War II-era buildings located on the Fircrest School campus are slated for demolition after succumbing to weak floor boards, leaks and overall maintenance issues.

Old age finally set in.

The 10 vacant buildings targeted for demolition have a rich history. Although the site has been redeveloped in the past 40 years to accommodate various uses, many buildings still in existence on the Fircrest School campus were originally constructed as a U.S. Naval Hospital during WWII.

After the war, portions of the hospital facility were converted into additional space for King County’s Firland Sanatorium and were later used by Fircrest School for the developmentally disabled, which is still active. King County also used the site for an alcohol and drug rehabilitation facility, which is now closed. The demolition is not connected to the operating portions of Fircrest School.

Although the 10 buildings (most of which are H-shaped) were never officially condemned, King County Project Manager Robert Renouard said the buildings were quickly deteriorating.

“The floors were rotting way and the buildings developed leaks,” Renouard said. “They got major mileage from the buildings, but it is remarkable how quickly they declined from month to month.”

The demolition project is a joint venture of the state Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and King County and has been about two years coming. The entities have cooperated for the past 10 years on the leasing and maintenance of the buildings, and the state previously demolished other navy hospital buildings on the site.

As part of a permit required for Historic American Buildings Survey documentation, a historical report was commissioned, as well as photographs to capture the layout of the campus. Old drawings and photographs were also collected and the compilation of documents will be submitted to the National Parks Service.

According to “Fircrest School Master Plan, Phase One Historic Resources Tech Memo,” prepared by Florence K. Lentz, Cultural Resource Consulting in January 2002, the Fircrest School campus has been in use since 1889.

The undeveloped acreage was originally intended to serve as a state park in the 1920s, but when the U.S. entered WWII, the federal government designated a portion of the property for a U.S. Naval Hospital. According to the historical report, the hospital site was strategically situated four miles north of Seattle city limits and 10 miles north of the Naval Station on Lake Union in Seattle. In 1942, the government leased a quarter-section of land, 165 acres, from the state and commenced construction.

Plans specified a 1,000-bed facility with a 500-bed expansion and an administration building. Seven H-shaped wards were operational by April 1942.

“On 9 January 1943, the first large contingent of 487 sick and wounded sailors and marines arrived for convalescence following brief hospital stays on Mare Island, Treasure Island and Oakland. They had served in the South Pacific at Pearl Harbor, the Solomon Island and Guadalcanal — and constituted the largest group of casualties yet to arrive in Seattle,” according to the historical report.

Although the hospital was intended to hold 1,500 beds, the addition of bunk beds in 1944 increased the capacity to 2,600. According to the report, the patient population tripled from 6,783 in 1943 to 23,946 in 1944. Patients often received medals of honor while staying at the hospital, and on several occasions Eleanor Roosevelt visited patients.

The hospital was recognized for conducting clinical trials with penicillin, for developing a program of rehabilitation and therapy, and reducing post-operative thrombosis with bed exercise.

According to the historical report, Firland Tuberculosis Sanatorium relocated to the site in 1946 after King County took over administrative duties and health officials obtained permission from the War Assets Administration to use the abandoned naval hospital beginning in November 1947.

According to the historical report: “In its new location, Firland operated as something of a small town, complete with its own post office, general store, soda fountain, print shop, radio station, library and school. Patients enjoyed movies and plays in the auditorium, meals in the large dining hall, as well as music and recreation rooms. All of these activities took place in the wooden buildings erected by the Navy in the 1940s.”

Firland closed in 1973 due to the death rate of tuberculosis dropping and the subsequent deterioration of the patient population.

In 1959, while Firland was still operational, a section of the old naval hospital site was overtaken by Fircrest School, which opened with 200 developmentally disabled patients. The institution expanded to more than 1,000 patients in the 1960s and the site was continually redeveloped until 1990, which necessitated the removal of many old naval hospital buildings.

Jeff Weathersby, DSHS spokesperson, said there are no immediate plans for the site once cleared.

“They are going to seed the property where the hospital buildings are,” Weathersby said. “No construction is planned or scheduled in the master plan.”