The Fort Worden Public Development Authority (PDA) has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Camilla Chandler Family Foundation of Los Angeles. It's the second major gift since the PDA took over 90 acres of the park last year.

The grant is to be used to renovate Building 305 and the proposed Makers Square, behind the Guardhouse on the northwest corner of the park’s main intersection, according to PDA director Dave Robison. That area is a top priority in the effort to develop the park as a “lifelong learning center,” he said.

The Chandler grant is a major step toward matching a major gift from the Sage Foundation earlier this year, Robison said. That gift totals $4 million, much of it earmarked for Building 305, a current maintenance building that could become a new arts center.

“Both grants are from California-based family foundations with family members who are longtime supporters of Port Townsend and Fort Worden nonprofit organizations,” Robison added.

The Sage Foundation has been a major donor to Centrum; the Chandler Foundation has been a major donor to the Northwest Maritime Center, so both are familiar with Jefferson County.

The PDA is a special purpose agency created by the city of Port Townsend.

Last year it took over management of the 90-acre campus, including more than 70 buildings dating to Fort Worden’s years as a military site. Washington State Parks continues to run the remainder of the 430-acre site.

The PDA was created in large part to supervise renovation and operation of the park’s nearly 400 units of housing, ranging from dormitory-type rooms to three-bedroom apartments in the homes on Officers' Row. The authority also has taken over food service at the park.

The PDA needs additional revenue – including private and public grants – to pay for renovations so that the campus can become self-sustaining, Robison said. The foundation gifts are a crucial first step toward achieving that, he added.

The PDA’s longterm plan calls for development of the northwest sector as “Makers Square” – a cluster of workshops, studios and classrooms in renovated buildings, all dedicated to visual, performance, industrial and culinary arts programs. Plans also include a culinary arts school, a dinner theater and a pub.

“The concept of a Makers Square builds upon 40 years of arts programming by Centrum arts organization and seizes an opportunity to transform an iconic state park into an arts-centric hub of creativity,” Robison said.

Building 305, a historic 110-year-old structure that had been used for decades as a storehouse and maintenance building, is to be completely renovated, he said. That building is in the same cluster as Building 306, which is home to the new Port Townsend School of the Arts, and near Building 326, the former USO building, which is used for performances, classes and meetings.

The Sage Foundation gift would be invested in renovating that area, and another $1 million is to be used to renovate houses on Officers' Row, and other overnight accommodations.