MOUNT VERNON — Downtown’s earliest buildings were swept away by flooding in 1879 and finished off by a major fire in 1891, which was followed by more flooding and more fires.

By 1900, the town switched to brick construction, according to Cultural Resource Consultants. The city hired the consulting firm to inventory 99 buildings in the downtown core, and on Wednesday, the firm reported back that much of Mount Vernon’s historic character remains intact and that 22 of the buildings surveyed might be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

Glenn Hartmann, president of and principal investigator for the firm, said more steps will need to be taken to get the buildings on the register, but that the work is worth doing and doing quickly. Already one of the buildings on the list, 606 to 612 S. First St., could be disqualified from the register because the owner is applying a new facade.

By getting those buildings still historically intact on the list, Hartmann said, the city could attract tourists and retain its sense of place. And though no criticisms were heard Wednesday, he addressed the common building owner concern that getting on the register means a loss of property rights.

He said that getting on the National Register can mean owners get tax incentives for restoring the historic character of their buildings, but does not prevent them from making other alterations should they choose.

Only federally funded projects that tamper with a site on the register require special mitigation measures, he said. “Historic preservation is a local community-based program,” he told the City Council. “You need the buy-in from the local property owner to have it work.”

Mayor Bud Norris closed the discussion with words for both preservation enthusiasts and any nervous property owners. “We definitely recognize the ownership factor,” he said. “... We would like to move forward with an effort in preservation.”

Elliott Wilson can be reached at 360-416-2147 or at .