More interagency partnerships are taking shape as Fort Vancouver National Historic Site continues to refurbish former U.S. Army structures it acquired in 2012.
Projects over the next three years include rehabilitating a building in the east portion of Vancouver Barracks for another federal agency. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has two field offices in the area that need more space, said Ray Cozby, project manager at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.
“We have identified a building that will fit their requirements,” he said.
Building 728, known as the finance house during the Army’s tenure, was built in 1941. It is a one-story structure in the center of the East Barracks, just west of the curving road that goes through the park.
The process has started for design work.
“We hope to complete that phase in six months to a year, then assemble funds to start on construction,” Cozby said.
The National Park Service currently is remodeling one of the large two-story barracks buildings facing Officers Row for use by another agency, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
Another upcoming project involves rehabilitating the exteriors of five historic buildings.
Protecting the buildings’ exteriors “takes us a step closer to making them usable for tenants,” he said.
The most prominent is the auditorium, just south of the Clark County Veterans War Memorial, built in 1914.
Another rehab project, Building 410, dates to 1935, when it was a Civilian Conservation Corps auto repair shop. It’s along East Fifth Street in the South Barracks, next to the entrance to the Land Bridge trail.
A more ambitious South Barracks project could serve other regional partners. Fort Vancouver hopes to convert Building 405 into a museum facility. Initial plans for remodeling the brick structure show exhibit space, an archaeology lab, a classroom, a curatorial facility and a lot of storage.
“It would accommodate our park and other parks, and probably other bureaus,” Cozby said.
Fort Vancouver officials have completed pre-design work and have started the process of requesting construction money. As they fill out their business and operations plan, “We will present it and see if there is interest. It’s a chance to show the potential and get buy-in.”
