Historical commission to monitor Bowker House in Lacey

The Bowker House is now under a 10-year special tax valuation agreement that requires the City of Lacey Historical Commission oversight. 

Commissioners backed yearly monitoring during their meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 21, after Lacey Museum Curator Erin Quinn Valcho proposed the approach. Thurston County recorded an Agreement for Special Tax Valuation the day before the commission’s meeting. 

The agreement grants property tax relief to the owners of the Bowker House, located at 915 Lacey St. SE, in exchange for maintaining the home's historic character through 2036. 

As part of the monitoring plan, Valcho will verify property ownership and conduct a visual inspection each year. Commissioners agreed to schedule the first review later this year. 

The signed agreement, authorized under Chapter 84.26 of the Revised Code of Washington, requires property owners Christa Harvey and Destiny Furbush to obtain written consent from the commission before making any alterations affecting the home's historic character, appearance or structural soundness. 

The owners must also comply with maintenance standards set forth in Washington Administrative Code 254-20-100. 

Routine repairs that do not alter the property's appearance, however, are permitted without prior approval. Demolition is also prohibited without commission consent. 

Provision issue

One state-mandated clause drew concern from Harvey. The provision requires property owners to make historic aspects of the home accessible to the public one day each year if the property is not visible from a public right-of-way. 

Valcho said she assured Harvey the requirement would not apply as long as the house remains visible from the street. The owners have added landscaping, but the home can still be seen from the public right-of-way. 

For guidance, Valcho disclosed that she consulted with City of Olympia staff. The city takes a passive approach to monitoring similar agreements, waiting to see if building permits are flagged for historic properties. Still, disqualification can occur. 

Commissioner David Shipley, who previously served on the Olympia Heritage Commission, recalled a case where a historic property fell into disrepair and was not visible from the street. 

"It can happen," said Shipley, noting the property's historic marker was also not visible to the public. 

Valcho noted such cases remain rare and said the city's monitoring approach will mirror its existing design review procedures. 

On Dec. 2, 2025, the Lacey City Council approved the special valuation application, as The JOLT News previously reported. The city and property owners signed the agreement on Dec. 5. 

The tax incentive subtracts rehabilitation costs from the building's assessed value for 10 years, from Jan. 1, 2027, through Dec. 31, 2036. Qualifying projects must cost at least 25% of the property's prior assessed value. 

Harvey and Furbush purchased the property in 2019, and then completed the bulk of rehabilitation work in 2023. 

Historic property 

The Bowker House was built in the early 1890s by George and Lucinda Bowker, who arrived from Maine and married in 1883. They purchased the land for $200. George worked as a logger, while Lucinda served as Lacey's postmaster in 1898. 

The house remained in the Bowker family until 1995 and became the first property listed on Lacey's Register of Historic Places in 1991. 

According to Valcho, Harvey has since requested a historic plaque for the property, which the previous owners had declined. The city covers the cost of plaques for registered historic properties. 

Shipley suggested any city-funded marker should be placed where the public can read it from the sidewalk. 

"If the city is paying for it, then the public should have access to see what it says on the marker," he said.