Alliance for Pioneer Square Receives Community Advocacy Award

Historic Seattle Community Advocacy AwardYesterday evening on May 14, 2013, local preservationists gathered for Historic Seattle’s Fifth Annual Preservation Awards Ceremony at the Good Shepherd Center in Wallingford. The Alliance for Pioneer Square staff and two board members were in attendance to receive Historic Seattle’s 2013 Community Advocacy Award.

From the Preservation Awards program:

The Community Advocacy Award goes to the Alliance for Pioneer Square for its leadership in revitalizing Seattle’s first neighborhood. […] The Alliance’s broad and holistic approach to enhancing Pioneer Square allows the organization to draw upon the many inherent assets of the neighborhood to create a better and more vibrant place for everyone to work, live, and visit. The Alliance embraces Pioneer Square’s cultural heritage and historic buildings, recognizing the value of historic preservation and how it aids economic development, not hinder it.

Alliance board co-chair Kevin Daniels was also presented with the Community Investment Award for his work in preserving and reviving Seattle landmarks. In his acceptance speech, Kevin stated that when he and the Alliance board hired Leslie Smith to be the executive director of the organization, he worried about Leslie’s emphasis on community. Not sure if Leslie’s philosophy would be a good fit at first, Kevin said he later realized that community is the heart of preservation.

We are extremely proud to be presented with the Community Advocacy Award, and we congratulate our co-chair Kevin Daniels on his preservation achievements. Our work to connect the community and other key partners in reviving Pioneer Square is built on a solid foundation thanks to Leslie Smith’s advocacy for the community and the neighborhood.