King County Executive Dow Constantine recently announced recipients of the 2017 John D. Spellman Awards, honoring people and organizations who protect and restore significant historic resources.

Recipients include the City of Kirkland, which has worked to protect historic buildings that reflect the community’s identity under intense development pressure, according to a county press release.

The awards are named in honor of John D. Spellman, former King County executive and Washington governor, who established the county’s Historic Preservation Program 39 years ago.

“John Spellman is a good and noble man who humbly stewarded his county and the state. The Spellman awards honor the stewards of our shared history,” Constantine said in the release. “At a time of unprecedented growth and change, these awardees are protecting, restoring and interpreting the places that tell the story of a proud and still young region.”

The City of Kirkland was honored for identifying and planning for the protection of the historic buildings that give the city its character and sense of place, according to the release. Amidst intense development pressures, Kirkland has identified and catalogued its most significant buildings, adopted zoning incentives that help maintain neighborhood character while accommodating development and found a creative alternative to demolition of one of its earliest residences, the Dr. Trueblood House.

An awards ceremony was held at the historic Kirkland Woman’s Club.

The King County Historic Preservation Program was established in 1978 to identify, document, and protect the county’s significant historic resources. The program staffs a nine-person Landmarks Commission, conducts environmental reviews in cooperation with other agencies and jurisdictions, manages a regional preservation program in partnership with numerous suburban cities, maintains an inventory of historic resources and develops and implements incentives to support and encourage restoration and rehabilitation of historic properties.