1012 North 9th Street (1888)

Although altered, this 1888 residence is thought to be the only remaining house known to have been designed by Katherine Lockwood Squire, architect for the Tacoma Building Association. Squire was Washington’s first professional female architect in Washington State and designed more than two-dozen buildings in Tacoma.

This 1888 residence is thought to be the only remaining house known to have been designed by Katherine Lockwood Squire, architect for the Tacoma Building Association. Squire was Washington’s first professional female architect and designed more than two-dozen buildings in Tacoma.

Very little is known about Ms. Squire. It is thought that her husband may have been Frank O. Squire, the building inspector for the Tacoma Building and Savings Association. Ms. Squire left Tacoma in 1888; a newspaper account from the time period mentions her husband’s illness as the reason for moving. This was once the home of Deputy City Treasurer S. T. Armstrong.

A Walking Tour of the North Slope Historic District. Tacoma, WA. Historic Tacoma Press, 2008.