514 North Sheridan Ave (1902)

This 1902 Dutch Colonial designed by George Bullard was the home of Louis Stewart, who came to Tacoma in 1888 from West Virginia. He and his brother formed Kona Koffee in 1905, with Louis serving as president. Louis only lived here a few years, the next residents were William Leslie and Catherine H. McDonald. Mr. McDonald was a cigar dealer.

Courtesy of Tacoma Historical Society:

"In 1902 famed Tacoma architect George Bullard drew up plans for this Dutch Colonial Revival home for Louis and Lavinia Stewart. The plans cost $2,000. Bullard was the architect for several local schools and churches (including the First Congregational Church), the YMCA, and the Washington State Historical Museum on North Stadium Way. Contractor W. R. Sears built the elegant eight-room structure on what was then a five-acre tract near the original location of Whitworth College for about $4,500. A modern home for its period, it featured central hot-water heating and a gas cooking range. The home, of 1758 square feet, has exterior dimensions of 24x36 feet.

"Louis Stewart and his brother arrived in Tacoma in 1888. Louis found work at the Palace Grocery. The brothers worked in the grocery business for many years before they co-founded the Kona Koffee Company, a well known and very popular wholesale grocery concern, in 1905. Louis and Lavinia had two sons, Mark and Ansel. Lavinia Triffitt Stewart was born in Selby, England, immigrating at age twelve to become a seventy-year resident of Tacoma.

"The second owners were William and Catherine McDonald, who bought the house in 1907. William, a well-known cigar dealer in downtown Tacoma, died the next year. Catherine stayed in the home, raised her family, and lived there until1942withherdaughterHelen.Helen married J. Steadman Wood, and they lived in the home until 1953. Steadman Wood was a widely known artist and was the art director of the Condom Company, one of the oldest advertising agencies in the Pacific Northwest.

"Other owners included H. Liness and Media C. Hochstrasser (1954-1979) and John C. and Sharon L. Higgins (1981- 1991). The Higgins family enclosed half of the front porch to enlarge the living room. Jeffery and Lisa Ganung owned the house from 1996 to 2005 and did extensive renovation work, adding a half bath downstairs, remodeling the kitchen, and erecting a three-car garage in the same style as the house.

"The home was purchased by its current owners in 2006 and they are undertaking many redecorating tasks and landscape improvements."²

Architect George Wesley Bullard

George Bullard, a native of Illinois, graduated from the University of Illinois in 1882. He started his architectural practice in his home state, but came to Tacoma in 1890 to open the firm of Bullard & Hayward. Bullard practiced in Tacoma for more than 45 years, both individually and in the firms of Bullard & Hill and Bullard & Mason. He designed numerous buildings in Tacoma, including the Y.M.C.A. (714 Market Street), First Congregational Church, Epworth Methodist Church, and the Washington State Historical Society headquarters. Bullard also served as the first president of the Washington State Chapter of Architects.

OTHER HOUSES DESIGNED BY GEORGE W. BULLARD:

• 1515 North 7th Street (1890)
• 523 North J Street (1895)
• 1521 North 5th Street (1903)
• 705 North J Street (1904)
• 815 North I Street (1906)

HOUSES DESIGNED BY HIS FIRM, BULLARD &HILL:

• 916 North L Street (1908)
• 1017 North L Street (1908)
• 622 North Cushman Street (1909)

Through the next section of the tour along North Sheridan and North M, there are several Craftsman homes, Cape Cods, and Tudor cottages mostly from the North Slope’s third building phase from about 1919 to 1930. By this time the North Slope had become an older middle-class urban neighborhood. Residents at the time were salesmen, engineers, carpenters, and bookkeepers.

1. A Walking Tour of the North Slope Historic District. Tacoma, WA. Historic Tacoma Press, 2008.
2. Historic Homes of Tacoma Tour 2008. Tacoma, WA. Tacoma Historical Society, 2008.