Cossalman House recommended for Cheney registry

Cheney's Historic Preservation Commission voted at a July 12 special meeting to recommend the James and Ruth Cossalman House for inclusion on the local historic registry.

The house on Fifth Street has been the home of former Eastern Washington University professors Fred and Ruth Lauritsen since 1971. According to the registration of historic places nomination form, the Lauritsen's have preserved many of the details that make the 2,200-square-foot, split-level rancher eligible for the registry.

The Cossalman family arrived in Cheney in the early 1880s, operating a dairy south of town. William Wallace Cossalman was one of a number of prominent local businessmen who donated $75 each in the fall of 1898 to continue the operation of the Eastern Washington State Normal School - the forerunner of today's EWU.

His son, James Wesley Cossalman, built the home in 1950 after retiring from operating the family dairy. Also prominent in the community, Cossalman was part of the first graduating class of Cheney High School in 1909.

The house is located in what is termed the "2nd Addition of Cheney," and two blocks from another historic registry house, that of Ken and Kathleen Kennedy, which was built in 1948. Preservation commission administrative assistant Sue Beeman referred to the Cossalman residence as a "plan book house." It combined elements of early California Ranch Style with "Arts and Crafts" architectural elements in what Beeman called a "Swiss Alpine" design.

"He took a plan book home and really personalized it," Beeman said. "It was a very forward-thinking, stylish kind of house for that time."

Beeman added that the personal touch is also seen the larger lot size, .43 acres, as well as orchard tree plantings and hand-built special backyard furniture, including the back porch, fireplace and patio table made out of locally-sourced slate. According to the nomination form, the interior is largely the same as it was when built 67 years ago, and includes French doors, Tennessee oak hand-pegged flooring, exposed fir beams with three built-in china cabinets and cupboards of straight-grained fir.

The front door and most of the windows are also original, as are the exterior board and batten siding and the paint scheme. The only additions are a small kitchen, additional room in back and split-shake roof shingles, although all appear to have been done to match the historic character of the house.

The adherence to history isn't a surprise to Beeman and members of the commission since Fred Lauritsen was a commission member for a number of years. He stepped down from his seat last year due to health reasons.

The commission's recommendation to include the Cossalman House on the local historic registry now heads to the City Council for final approval. Beeman wasn't certain when that would appear on the council's agenda.

If approved, the Lauritsens would enter into a management agreement with the city to take care of the house and make sure any improvements are in accordance with state and national historic preservation standards. If improvements were made, 25 percent of the costs would be eligible for state historic preservation special valuation tax breaks over the next 10 years.

"Being on the local register makes them eligible for the special valuation, and we'll give them a nice plaque for the home," Beeman added.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].