The battle to save the Providence Heights Campus is raging stronger than ever; the Sammamish Heritage Society has filed an appeal with the city of Issaquah to fight the Mitigated Determination of Non-Significance issued by the city on April 17.

The appeal will go before the Issaquah Hearing Examiner at 10 a.m. on May 31 in the Council Chambers, located at 135 E. Sunset Way.

The city originally issued the campus’ owner, Plateau Campus, LLC (an arm of The City Church of Kirkland) with a Determination of Non-Significance on March 31, stating that demolishing the former nuns’ college would not have a significant negative impact on the surrounding area.

After receiving over 100 letters and over 300 signatures asking the city to save the property, the city changed the DNS to an MDNS. The MDNS added the stipulation that the campus chapel’s 14, one-of-a-kind stained glass windows — designed by late, world-renowned French artist Gabriel Loire, who has created stained glass for religious buildings around the world, including the Salisbury Cathedral in Salisbury, England and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin, Germany — must be safely removed and preserved before Plateau Campus receives a demolition permit.

Chris Moore, executive director of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, said that the trust “greatly disagreed with” the issuance of the MDNS.

“The city didn’t take into account all of the ways the demolition will affect the environment,” Chris Moore said. “One of the elements of environment … is historic and cultural significance.”

The Providence Heights campus was originally built in the 1960s as a college for the Sisters of Providence. It was sold to the Lutheran Bible Institute in the late 1970s, and was bought in 2008 by The City Church.

In July 2016, the Issaquah School Board voted to move forward with condemnation of the property so that a new high school could eventually be put on the site.

The campaign to save Providence Heights started out as an effort by the Sammamish Heritage Society, but soon ballooned into a movement of over 100 concerned residents of Issaquah, Sammamish, Kirkland, Redmond and Renton who do not want to see the historic structure fall prey to the wrecking ball. While much of the discussion has centered around the 30-foot stained glass windows, members of the movement are adamant that the campus as a whole is significant and should be preserved.

Chris Moore explained that the “entire site represents the social history” in that the Catholic Church made the decision to educate women at a time when there were fewer academic opportunities open to females. The nuns were given an education equal to that of men, and were able to study subjects such as chemistry and physics.

“The campus’ significance is derived from its historical association with profound changes in the Catholic Church … This campus is the physical manifestation of that change,” said Julie Koler, a preservation consultant and former manager of the King County Preservation Program. “To just focus on the windows is to miss the whole point.”

Besides this, advocates for saving Providence Heights say they are not even sure that the windows can be safely preserved. Using his signature dalle de verre style, Loire set the chunks of glass in concrete rather than lead.

Mary Moore, vice president of the society, said that she did not see that there was any way to save windows set in concrete, noting that “it’s much more complex than just using a crowbar.”

Chris Moore believes that there is no way to remove the windows without the entire structure collapsing.

“It raises the question, ‘What happens if they can’t be safely removed?’ What happens if they are damaged during the process?’” he said.

City of Issaquah Economic Development and Development Services Director Keith Niven said that he felt the window condition in the MDNS was “as far as I felt I could push” things, as the campus is not officially marked as a landmark.

The society had submitted an application for the campus to be named a city of Issaquah landmark earlier this year, but withdrew it after fear of legal action by the property’s owner.

Under state law, religious institutions are exempt from landmark designation because of the potential for landmark status to disrupt religious activities or services.

However, in 2016, the Washington State Department of Revenue determined that the Providence Heights buildings had not been actively in use for religious purposes for some time, and ordered Plateau Campus to pay back taxes on the property.

“During the site visit, it was determined that most of the property had been vacant for some time … all of the rooms visible from the outside contained items strewn about the floor or in boxes to donate; and the main parking areas appeared unkempt and showed no signs of recent use,” stated auditor Ras Roberts in documents obtained from the Department of Revenue.

Many supporters of saving Providence Heights believe that if Plateau Campus is not exempt from taxation as a religious organization, it should not be exempt from landmark status as a church.

Koler and Chris Moore said that Plateau Campus is eager to demolish the property before it can be named a landmark because the property value is higher without that designation.

“I think they’re more interested in getting the value from their property … since they no longer have any use for it as an extension of City Church,” Koler said.

However, proponents of saving the structure would like to see a way that the school district or any other buyer could reuse the buildings for a new purpose.

“The most sustainable thing anyone can do is to reuse a building, especially a large complex like Providence Heights … Students would have a school with a history and a site less marred by destruction,” said Patricia Fels, former chair of the King County Landmarks Commission, in a letter to Niven.

During public comment at the May 15 Issaquah City Council meeting, Sammamish resident Paula Harper-Christiansen came up with several suggestions of use for the campus, including “concerts … conference retreat center, school, shelter for women in crisis, museum, jazz festivals, Issaquah film festival … a park, year-long Shakespeare theatre.”

“All the while, we could be generating revenue for the city of Issaquah,” she said. “The possibilities are endless.”

“Religion aside, it’s historical,” Mary Moore said. “I’m not religious at all … I see it as a historical campus. I can look beyond that and I hope the school district … can do the same.”

The society is relying on local volunteers and donations to cover its legal costs. To donate to the effort, visit www.gofundme.com/hcs8h-save-providence-heights-campus.

Once a college for nuns, Providence Heights already includes classrooms, dorms, chemistry labs and even a gymnasium with a pool. For this reason, community members say there are many potential uses for the property, and not just as a new high school — they’ve suggested the site could be used as a homeless shelter, retreat center, or center for the arts. Nicole Jennings/staff photo

Though the MDNS states that the windows must be saved before the property is demolished, art history experts believe that there is no way to safely remove the 30-foot stained glass windows, as the chunks of glass are set in concrete. Photo courtesy of Michael Sladek