Editing Port Townsend, Washington (section)

==Arts and culture==
[[File:Jefferson County Courthouse in Port Townsend, WA.jpg|thumb|Jefferson County Courthouse in Port Townsend]]

The sign entering town names Port Townsend a "Victorian Seaport and Arts Community".

===Art and music===
Reflecting the numerous artists in the area, downtown has many galleries and two artists' collectives.<ref>[https://ptguide.com/arts-music-theatre Port Townsend Art Galleries<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The nonprofit Northwind Art is located in the 1885 Waterman & Katz Building downtown. There is a monthly Art Walk, and a plethora of classes, workshops, and training are available locally.

Fort Worden State Park is home to a number of cultural organizations and venues. [[Centrum (arts organization)|Centrum]] is a culture and arts organization that hosts a multitude of concerts, festivals, and workshops. These include "Fiddle Tunes", blues, jazz, voice, chamber music, and more. [[Copper Canyon Press]], the poetry press, is located there, as are facilities for [[Goddard College]], Madrona Mindbody Institute, [[Peninsula College]], and the Port Townsend School of Woodworking. In late October and November 1981, Fort Worden was the central filming location for the 1982 movie ''[[An Officer And A Gentleman]]'' starring [[Richard Gere]].

Port Townsend has two dance schools for children and adults. The city is also home to Port Townsend Symphony Orchestra.

===Festivals and events===
Port Townsend is host to several annual events such as the [[Port Townsend Wooden Boat festival]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.woodenboat.org/festival/ |title=Wooden Boat Festival - Port Townsend, WA |publisher=Woodenboat.org |access-date=August 16, 2012}}</ref> [[Kinetic sculpture race|Kinetic Skulpture Race]] {{sic}} (since 1983),<ref>{{cite news |author1=PDN staff |title=Port Townsend hosts kinetic skulpture race |url=https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/entertainment/port-townsend-hosts-kinetic-skulpture-race/ |work=Peninsula Daily News |date=October 5, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=http://www.ptkineticrace.org/|title=Port Townsend Bay Kinectic Skulpture Race|access-date=December 29, 2012}}</ref> the Rhododendron Festival, [[Port Townsend Film Festival]], and the annual blues and jazz festival.

Boating and maritime life are central elements in this port town, with regattas, weekly races, and a multitude of recreational opportunities, including annual boating events such as the Race to Alaska and Seventy48. The marine trades industry is an anchor economic driver for the community, with highly skilled, world-renowned tradespeople. The port is home to many classic wooden boats, and gets visits from owners of others seeking repairs.

Since 1999, Port Townsend has held its annual international film festival in September. The Rose Theatre<ref>[http://www.rosetheatre.com Rosetheatre.com]</ref> downtown shows contemporary American and foreign films. The Uptown Theater shows family-oriented films, and a nearby drive-in theater is open during the summer. Key City Public Theatre is the local playhouse presenting many award-winning productions and Shakespeare in the Park in the summer.

Starting in August 2019, Fort Worden began hosting a music festival called "THING", created by Adam Zacks, the founder of the [[Sasquatch! Music Festival]].<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Seattle P-I|title=A brand new music Thing: Sasquatch founder launches new Washington music festival|author=Zosha Millman|date=April 15, 2019|url=https://www.seattlepi.com/entertainment/music/article/music-fest-Thing-Sasquatch-Port-Townsend-PNW-13769320.php}}</ref> In 2023, [[Fleet Foxes]], an indie-folk group from Seattle, led by Port Townsend's notable musician Robin Pecknold, was the listed headliner.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rietmulder |first1=Michael |title=THING festival announces 2023 lineup |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/music/thing-festival-announces-2023-lineup/ |access-date=June 24, 2023 |work=The Seattle Times |date=March 14, 2023}}</ref> Due to difficult accessibility to the event because of Port Townsend's location, coupled with limited lodging options and low revenue, the THING festival would not return to the city in 2024.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rietmulder |first1=Michael |title=Seattle Theatre Group pulls THING festival out of Port Townsend |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/music/seattle-theatre-group-pulls-thing-festival-out-of-port-townsend/ |access-date=November 22, 2023 |work=The Seattle Times |date=November 16, 2023}}</ref>

===Historical buildings and sites===
[[File:Frank Bartlett House Port Townsend.jpg|thumb|Bartlett House, built in 1883]]
Port Townsend is noted for its Victorian houses and significant historical buildings. The city has more than a dozen large, well-preserved buildings, including the Port Townsend Public Library (a 1913 [[Carnegie library|Carnegie Library]]), the Federal Building (now commonly known as the city's post office), the Rose Theatre, and the [[Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks|Elks]] Lodge, which now houses Silverwater Cafe. [[Fort Worden]], now a state park, has retained some of its pre-[[World War I]] architecture built when it was a military facility. Buildings have been adapted for other uses, including the publicly available Olympic Youth Hostel, which closed in 2011. The Jefferson County Courthouse is in a Romanesque architectural style, as popularized by [[Henry Hobson Richardson]], with a 125-foot bell tower.
[[Image:PortTownsendWA BellTower.jpg|thumb|upright|Bell Tower]]

In 1976, the Downtown waterfront and parts of Uptown were designated a Registered Historic District. Later, [[Fort Worden]] (now part of [[Fort Worden State Park]]) and the City of Port Townsend were designated [[National Historic Landmark]]s.<ref name="St. George"/>

The Bell Tower on the bluff above downtown is one of two known towers of this type in the United States. It was used from 1890 to the 1940s to call volunteer firefighters. It was restored in 2003 by the Jefferson County Historical Society.<ref>Notes from Jefferson County Historical Society</ref> The second bell tower is located in [[Helena, Montana]], and was also used for fire alarms during the late 19th century.

===Tourism===
A history museum is located downtown and the [[Port Townsend Aero Museum]] is located at the local airport. The Northwest Maritime Center is located on the waterfront, and features a wooden boat shop. The Port Townsend Marine Science Center has facilities at Fort Worden State Park.