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Built in 1904, the Huth Mansion at 504 N Third St once overlooked Old Woman's Gulch. From there, brewery magnate Anton Huth would have watched the construction of Stadium Bowl which was built in 1910 and heard the roar of its crowds of 30,000+ spectators. A German immigrant, Huth established the Pacific Brewing &amp; Malting Co. He commissioned architect Darmer for other projects as well, including the Pacific Brewery building and the Carlton Hotel, named for his son Carlton Huth. Both buildings are now on the City's Historic Register.Anton Huth passed in 1916. However his wife and children continued to live there for many years. The mansion was demolished in 1958 to make way for a parking lot for Stadium High School. A large parking structure stands there today. Though his mansion is gone, Huth's legacy (as well as that of architect Carl August Darmer) includes a number of historic landmarks still remaining in Tacoma.For more on the history and legacy of Anton Huth and Carl August Darmer, visit the links below.

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Though it is now gone, the magnificent Huth Mansion once loomed large in the Stadium Historic District, overlooking the Gulch and the historic Stadium Bowl. Designed by the prolific architect Carl A. Darmer, it was demolished in 1958 to make way for a parking lot. Anton Huth and his partner started the Puget Sound Brewery and Malting Company in 1888. In addition to this home, Huth had hired Darmer to design another project of his, that being the historic Carlton Hotel in downtown Tacoma which was named for Anton's son, Carlton.

Huth Mansion (1903)

This walking tour of the Stadium Historic District was produced by the Tacoma Historical Society, with support from the Pierce County Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission and Tacoma Creates.

"Dominant architectural styles within the district are Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles; Tudor, Chalet and California Bungalow styles; and Mediterranean, or 20th century Italian Villa Style. There are also homes in the "Modern English", or Jacobethan vein, and there are a number of "Colonial" cottages and "Norman Farmhouses" representing the latest historic period of development. Interspersed in the east and south portions of the district are pattern-book cottages arranged in identical sets of two or more. The apartment buildings have an assortment of historical surface details derived from several of the styles mentioned above. Lawns and street trees (predominantly Horse Chestnut and Maple) contribute to a pleasing, overall impression of green space. Although his proposal was never used because of unforeseen political and economic considerations, Frederick Law Olmstead was commissioned to prepare a master plan for New Tacoma in 1873. The general concepts of the City Beautiful Movement did influence the eventual layout of the Stadium-Seminary district when construction began 15 years later. It was a planned development on a fairly grand scale which is today most apparent in the extensive street plantings, orientation to vistas and distribution of open space. Wright Park and Garfield Park are located on opposite sides of the district, although the former is separated from the neighborhood by a major arterial. Annie Wright Seminary and an undeveloped ravine provide additional landscape features of contrasting texture - one carefully maintained, the other left in its natural state. The plat of the district is on an angled grid - skewed 45 degrees with respect to the adjoining parts of the city. The streets are oriented parallel and perpendicular to the shoreline over an almost equilateral wedge-shaped section that comes to a point further up the hillside beyond the district boundaries. The cross streets afford incomparable views across the harbor and Puget Sound with the Olympic and Cascade Mountain Ranges in the distance. The exact orientation of these vistas was apparently an important consideration. Had the grid followed the pattern in other parts of the city, the streets running down the hillside would have focused attention on the tide flats at the mouth of the Puyallup River (now heavy industrial development near the Port of Tacoma)."

Welcome to this walking tour of historic homes in the Stadium-Seminary Historic District. This tour was produced by Tacoma Historical Society with support from the Pierce County Landmarks & Historic Preservation Commission, as well as Tacoma Creates. The Historical Society thanks them for their support, and thanks you for checking out this tour.

"The Stadium-Seminary Historic District in the City of Tacoma is a residential neighborhood of substantial two and three-story homes developed between 1888 and 1930. It is located northwest of the central business district on a high sloping site along a bluff overlooking Commencement Bay. Within the district there are nearly 400 buildings in an area encompassing the equivalent of 50 blocks. This neighborhood is distinguished by its exceptional quality and variety of architecture and its unusual continuity of period that is only rarely interrupted by more modern structures."

Stadium-Seminary Historic District

For the new high school, renowned Tacoma architect Frederick Heath designed a building in French-chateau style - a copy, it was said, of an old fortified manor near Tours, on the River Loire south of Paris. Construction contractor George Evans started the work in 1904; and the new Tacoma High School, as it was then known, opened on September 10, 1906. There were 878 students and 38 teachers. Heath also designed Stadium Bowl next to the new high school. When the Bowl opened in 1910, it had a capacity of 32,000. It served as the main venue for school athletics and major civic events. (During his Tacoma career, Heath also designed such landmarks as Lincoln High School, Central School, McKinley and Fern Hill elementary schools, the Pythian Temple, the Church of St. Patrick, First Lutheran Church, and the Rhodes and Fisher department stores on Broadway.) Tacoma High School was renamed Stadium High School in 1913 when Lincoln High School opened. In 1918, Stadium gained an underground gymnasium, popularly referred to as " the dungeon". Renovated in 1960, this gymnasium was in use until 2004. A number of other structural changes were made to Stadium over the years, including the addition of an industrial arts and science building in the 1970s and a major renovation in 2005-2006.  An $88 million project designed by <a href="https://www.crashshop.com/archive/KreiArchitecture/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Krei Architecture</a>, main contractor <a href="https://www.usa.skanska.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Skanska USA</a> Building and project manager <a href="https://www.turnerconstruction.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Turner Construction</a> Company removed the entire interior and installed new girders and floors at every story of "the castle". The renovated Stadium features design elements appropriate to a registered historic landmark, such as new wood-framed windows. A new performing arts and physical education building replaced "the dungeon". After being closed for the duration of the two-year project, Stadium reopened in September 2006, just in time to serve as the grand centerpiece of a huge centennial celebration. The new Stadium High School, one of the most architecturally notable schools in the entire country, has four floors, three basements, and four attic levels. The building has an amazing total of 575 windows and floor space of 196,642 square feet in all.

The Tacoma Land Co. began construction in 1890 of what was to be a grand Tourist Hotel. The architects were Hewitt & Hewitt. The work was well along when the Panic of 1893 and the ensuing depression put a permanent halt to construction. In 1898, a fire of unknown origin destroyed the wooden portions of the structure, leaving just the foundation and brick walls standing above ground level. In 1903 demolition of the structure, primarily to salvage the bricks, stopped when the school board decided to convert the unfinished Tourist Hotel into a high school.

Stadium High School

Built in 1904, the Huth Mansion at 504 N Third St once overlooked Old Woman's Gulch. From there, brewery magnate Anton Huth would have watched the construction of Stadium Bowl which was built in 1910 and heard the roar of its crowds of 30,000+ spectators.  A German immigrant, Huth established the Pacific Brewing &amp; Malting Co. He commissioned architect Darmer for other projects as well, including the Pacific Brewery building and the Carlton Hotel, named for his son Carlton Huth. Both buildings are now on the City's Historic Register. Anton Huth passed in 1916. However his wife and children continued to live there for many years. The mansion was demolished in 1958 to make way for a parking lot for Stadium High School. A large parking structure stands there today. Though his mansion is gone, Huth's legacy (as well as that of architect Carl August Darmer) includes a number of historic landmarks still remaining in Tacoma. For more on the history and legacy of Anton Huth and Carl August Darmer, visit the links below.

The following text is from a Research Center history prepared by the Washington State Historical Society. History of the Research Center Building By Fred Poyner IV The present day building which houses the Washington State History Research Center dates back to 1911, when the Washington State Historical Society shared space with another historical organization, the Ferry Museum. Before 1911, the Society had housed its collections and exhibits in both the Old City Hall (until 1907) and in the Pierce County Courthouse, in Tacoma, WA. For a permanent home, the land on which the current building sits was purchased from the Tacoma School District, with the laying of the cornerstone on February 4, 1911. George W. Bullard and Co. served as the architects for the project. <a href="https://tacomahistoricalsociety-my.sharepoint.com/personal/director_tacomahistoricalsociety_onmicrosoft_com/Documents/Home%20Tours/2020/Houses%20and%20Buildings/315%20N%20STADIUM%20WAY%20(Ferry%20Museum).docx#_ftn1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[1]</a> The design was on a grand scale and included Greek columns, porticos, fluting, and architectural molding adorning the façade. The building opened to the public on October 8, 1911. A view of the entire planned design dating from 1912 is shown, although only the far right portion of museum was constructed in 1911, with the hall to the immediate left added later in 1915, extending to the edge of the awning. The first curator for the Society and the Ferry Museum, William Gilstrap (who also served as a Society Director from 1907-1914) described the finished structure as follows: All the halls, staircases, etc. were planned on a large and imposing scale, commensurate with the size, character, and purposes of the structures; each and all are excellently well lighted by natural light and designed in harmony with each other. The exterior is designed in the later French Renaissance period of architecture, thus harmonizing with the imposing Stadium High School building. The building materials chosen for the exterior and which has been incorporated in the partially completed first unit of the Historical group are gray Tenino sandstone window and door trimmings, belt courses, and cornice of white Wilkeson sandstone.<a href="https://tacomahistoricalsociety-my.sharepoint.com/personal/director_tacomahistoricalsociety_onmicrosoft_com/Documents/Home%20Tours/2020/Houses%20and%20Buildings/315%20N%20STADIUM%20WAY%20(Ferry%20Museum).docx#_ftn2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[2]</a> With the completion of the hall in 1915, this new four-story building was able to house the collections and activities of both the organizations until 1931, when the Society formally incorporated the Ferry Museum organization. However, the name "Ferry Museum" continued to be associated with the building for many years after. In 1937, during the Depression era, the Society was awarded federal funding through the Public Works Administration which made it possible to add a fifth floor to the existing structure, along the lines of the original plans from 1912. Among the design additions was the placement of a pediment above the Greek columns at the front of the building, thereby completing the appearance of a classical Greek temple façade. Work on the 5th floor addition was completed in 1938. It was also during the late 1930s that the perceived need for a library as an integral part of the facility began to gain a foothold in the consciousness of the administration. In 1939, W.L. McCormick, Former president of the Ferry Museum, wrote to Society president N.B. Coffman about the necessity of a library: To make our Historical Society useful and available to the public for reference purposes will require the construction of a library annex and the employment of a librarian and then the collection and assembling of as many books of reference as possible.<a href="https://tacomahistoricalsociety-my.sharepoint.com/personal/director_tacomahistoricalsociety_onmicrosoft_com/Documents/Home%20Tours/2020/Houses%20and%20Buildings/315%20N%20STADIUM%20WAY%20(Ferry%20Museum).docx#_ftn3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[3]</a>By 1941, the Hewitt Hall exhibit area had become transformed into the Hewitt Library, established to serve the research needs of the Society, students, and the public. Today, the library’s reading room offers access to the Society’s special collections by staff appointment, and includes access to over 16,000 book volumes, 600,000 photographs and negatives, 3,300 maps, and 1.5 million archives. An expansion of the existing building was authorized in a bond issue in 1965, with the Society listed among those state agencies to receive funding for construction projects. The firm of Lea, Pearson and Richards was retained to draw new plans for this phase of expansion. The bond passed in 1966, and despite financial challenges to the project, a new wing was completed in 1973, five-stories high and made of reinforced concrete. This new addition was mostly hidden by the façade of the original structure, which was left intact. Six years later, additional design improvements had moved the entrance to the North side of the building, and enclosed the ground (now 1st) floor of the building, known thereafter as Cheney Hall. The Stadium Way facility which housed the Society underwent one more major period of renovation, from late 1989 to July 1990, which included the upgrading of wiring, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and for seismic activity. The firm of Merritt and Pardini was secured for this period of improvements to the spaces. After eight decades of serving as the home of the Society, with the completion of a new Washington State History Museum in downtown Tacoma and public opening of this museum in 1996, the Stadium Way facility was redesignated as the Washington State History Research Center. The building continues to serve as the storage facility for the Society's permanent collections, as well as the research activities of Washington state history conducted by the agency and public. The most recent upgrade to the facility (completed in 2008) has been the addition of a cold storage room, for storing nitrate negatives and other special collections requiring a controlled cold climate storage environment. <a href="https://tacomahistoricalsociety-my.sharepoint.com/personal/director_tacomahistoricalsociety_onmicrosoft_com/Documents/Home%20Tours/2020/Houses%20and%20Buildings/315%20N%20STADIUM%20WAY%20(Ferry%20Museum).docx#_ftnref1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[1]</a> Architectural drawing for the Washington State Historical Society and the Ferry Museum Building, by George W. Bullard and Co., Architects, 1912<a href="https://tacomahistoricalsociety-my.sharepoint.com/personal/director_tacomahistoricalsociety_onmicrosoft_com/Documents/Home%20Tours/2020/Houses%20and%20Buildings/315%20N%20STADIUM%20WAY%20(Ferry%20Museum).docx#_ftnref2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[2]</a> John McClelland, Window to the Past – The Washington State Historical Society’s First Century, WSHS, 1992. p. 42.<a href="https://tacomahistoricalsociety-my.sharepoint.com/personal/director_tacomahistoricalsociety_onmicrosoft_com/Documents/Home%20Tours/2020/Houses%20and%20Buildings/315%20N%20STADIUM%20WAY%20(Ferry%20Museum).docx#_ftnref3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[3]</a> Ibid, p. 72.

The building which houses the Washington State History Research Center dates back to 1911 when the Washington State Historical Society shared space with another heritage organization, the Ferry Museum. Before 1911, the Society had housed its collections and exhibits in both the Old City Hall (until 1907) and in the Pierce County Courthouse, located in Tacoma.

Ferry Museum (WSHS Research Center)

Norton Fitch, an 1871 graduate of Cornell University and one of its first students, was the president of Traders' Bank of Tacoma. Fitch had migrated to Tacoma from Rochester, NY, as part of a group of people connected with the Eastman Kodak Company. The financial Panic of 1893 caused the failure of most of the city's banks. Traders' Bank was among them, closing its doors in 1894. The Fitches' daughter, Cora, taught at Annie Wright Seminary and served as principal of the school for ten years, beginning in 1904. Later owners of the home include Arthur Remington (1926-1930) and Glen Darling (1938-1945). Remington was a distinguished attorney. His many-volume annotations and revisions to the statutes of Washington were a model of their kind, used and cited throughout the U.S. Darling, a pharmacist, owned Park Drug Store at Division and Yakima Avenues and, later, the new and much larger Darling's Drug Store at 24 N. Tacoma Ave. He was an accomplished organist, playing in the city's Episcopal Churches and Masonic Lodges. Darling's wife Lucy oversaw the $3,000 modernization and conversion of the home into a duplex in 1938. Current owners Jon and Jeffrey, founders of Tacoma Musical Playhouse, have completely renovated and restored the home to its original grandeur. The foyer has an oak, parquet floor and walls with chinoiserie stenciling. Original pocket doors lead to the front parlor, which has period Quezal-signed light fixtures and fireplace. The stained-glass windows, also original, have been restored. New moldings of clear fir match the original moldings. A display cabinet houses a pottery collection of Van Briggle, Rumrill, and Niloak pieces. A brick terrace with a wrought iron fence was installed below the front parlor. The dining room, with its period light fixture and new wainscoting, also has inlaid oak floors. Stenciling integrates the decor of the parlor and dining rooms. The spacious kitchen now has a large "grand piano" island — with Black granite "lid" and a white "keyboard", a butler's pantry, and tin tiles behind the cooktop. The all-new bathroom is elegantly done in period style. There is a small study beyond the bathroom. Salvaged from the Bavarian Restaurant, the "new" stairway bannister has been reworked and stained. The second floor has four bedrooms. The master bedroom has a large sitting area and a new, period-style bath. All the custom-made woodwork and doors (of stained, clear fir) are styled to match the original pocket doors. The third-floor attic has been converted to a stylish apartment.

In 1889, A. Norton and Helen W. Fitch had this Queen-Anne style home of over 4,900 square feet built for $5,500. The architect was Frederick A. Sexton, who built a number of houses and buildings in Tacoma, including the Biltmore Apartments at 801 North I St. and the home at 414 North C Street. 

Fitch House (1890)

Henry Achilles, who was the half-owner of the Pacific Storage and Warehouse Company, relocated to Rochester in 1896. The home was rented for many years. Alexander and Mary Stacy Thomson lived here from 1897 to 1907. Alexander, an immigrant from Scotland, was in the exporting business. Mary Stacy Thompson was an early student at Annie Wright. She was socially active in Tacoma and a charter member of the local Red Cross, was for many years editor of the Society Page of The News Tribune. The home was purchased in 1925 from the Henry Strong estate by Helen Curlette, who, with her husband, Harry Curlette, lived in the home until 1962. Alan and Elodie Vandevert, owned the home from 1966 to 1987. Alan was the corporate secretary of Weyerhaeuser and the chair of the Tacoma Community College board of trustees. Elodie taught English at Annie Wright Seminary, was an assistant editor of a dictionary project at the University of Puget Sound, and served as the interim headmistress at Annie Wright for the academic year 1982-83. Current owner Marianne Taylor bought the home in 1992. The large, paneled, fir front door of the home is just the same as that of its sister house next door. The original matching front door of the entry hall was removed in the remodel, resulting in an L-shaped foyer. The home retains its original bannister and original pressed-tin stairway ornamentation. The living room has its original stained glass windows, painted fir floors, and fireplace — with tiles and oak surround. The dining room has striking, diagonally-laid Black and white tiles and period furniture appropriate to the 125-year-old home. The dining room fireplace retains its original green tile and carved surround. The kitchen is updated with a cooktop in a large island and a generous sitting area, which overlooks the garden. A study and office area adjoins the kitchen, and there is a half bath beyond. There are four bedrooms and two baths on the second floor, which retains its original doors and woodwork. The master bedroom on the left front of the home has its own master bath. One bedroom is used for arts and crafts. There is an antique oak child's wardrobe in the rear bedroom.

This Queen Anne home, built for Henry L. and Gertrude Strong Achilles in 1889, is the mirror image of the home at 412 North C St. Architect Frederick A. Sexton "flipped" the plan of the two homes. The Achilles and the Fitches were part of a group that moved to Tacoma from Rochester, New York. Gertrude was the daughter of Henry A. Strong, who later became the first president of the Eastman Kodak Company. It was Strong who held title to the home. 

Achilles House (1889)

The home's first owner Robert Walker came to Tacoma in 1887 but went to Alaska during the gold rush and built a flat-bottomed boat to shoot the Yukon River rapids. He returned to Tacoma in 1900, resumed his real estate business, and married Marie Hellig in 1901. The Walkers sold the home in 1917 to Jane Wells, the independently wealthy wife of Bishop Lemuel Wells. A Civil War officer on General Grant's staff and later an Episcopal priest, Wells came to Tacoma in 1882. He was Rector of St. Luke's Church until 1889, when he established and became Rector of Trinity Church, now known as Christ Church. In 1892 he was consecrated bishop of the Spokane district and served as bishop until his retirement in 1913. He and Jane Wells, who married in 1914, relocated to Tacoma in 1915. Shortly thereafter, they purchased the home from the Walkers. In 1922, after his wife's death, Wells sold the home to George and Grace Guyles, a Tacoma insurance man who had taken over his father's firm upon the latter's death in 1916. Coincidentally, it was Robert Walker, who had earlier built the house in 1909, who handled the sales transaction. Robert and Jean Loomis purchased the home in 1959 from the Guyles family. Current owners Andrew and Toni Loomis purchased the home in 1993 from Andrew's parents. The home's large entry retains its original fixtures and tile floor and well as a mahogany rail stairway. The living room fireplace was redone with new bookcases in the early 1960s. A pleasant sunroom lies beyond the living room. The parlor to the left of the entry has its own fireplace. The elegant dining room has leaded-glass windows and cupboard doors, a plate rail, and an angled fireplace with the original green tiles. The dining room and stairway fixtures, not original to the home, are vintage replacements. The main floor's half bath is original but updated with period fixtures and decor. The kitchen is all-new and features an island with built-in range and a gas fireplace. The deck off the kitchen was added in 1978. The upstairs still has the original hall closets, while the six original bedrooms of the home are now reduced to five bedrooms and a large closet. The large master bedroom was the result of removing a wall and relocating one of the three original upstairs bathrooms. The bathroom near the southwest comer of the home has its original claw-foot tub. Many of the original windows are also still in place. The attic, intended as a nursery, has two bedrooms and a bath with its original tub.

Tacoma architect Ambrose Russell designed this large English Tudor, two-story home of 4,566 square feet for Robert and Marie Walker. Contractor Cornell Brothers completed the home in 1909 at a cost in excess of $7,000. Robert Walker was a real estate developer, who came to Tacoma in 1887. In 1922, after his wife's death, Wells sold the home to George and Grace Guyles.

Walker House (1909)

Charles Hebard Jones and his wife Franke Tobey Jones purchased the property in 1907 from Frederick Watson and soon began renovations on their new residence. They hired local architects Ambrose Russell and Everett Babcock to design alterations, which included an addition to the library on the first floor and the construction of a detached garage. Jones and his brother-in-law Henry Hewitt arrived in Tacoma in 1887 to buy timber and to establish a mill. They soon met with Colonel Chauncey W. Griggs and the three men (along with Griggs’ partner Addison Foster) collaborated to establish one large company, the St. Paul &amp; Tacoma Lumber Company. Charles and Franke became actively involved in community affairs associating with numerous civic and social organizations. After Charles’ passing in 1922, Franke provided the College of Puget Sound a $200,000 gift for the construction of the first building at its new North End campus in honor of her husband—Jones Hall. The following year, Franke announced the donation of a five-acre building site near Point Defiance Park for a retirement home and provided an endowment for its operation. The facility was later named the Franke Tobey Jones Home in recognition of her generosity.  Upon Franke’s death in 1931, her sister, Harriet Tobey Stickney, a nephew and niece-in-law took over ownership of the house. Seven families followed from 1954-2019. Current owners Chris and Nici Amsden are committed to restoring the home to its prior luster. The Colonial Revival, a two-and-a-half story residence with a daylight basement, stands on a stone foundation. The wood-frame house has a largely rectangular plan. Two brick chimneys with decorative corbeling project from the roof. The front door opens into a foyer, which is then the access point to the parlor, dining room, main stairwell, and a half bathroom under the stairs. The parlor is accessed through a wide opening and includes a large fireplace that has a wood mantel and is framed by tan square tiles. The dining room is to the north of the foyer and it, too, includes a fireplace. Yellow rectangle tiles frame the firebox and hearth. The butler’s pantry is to the east, and to the north is the kitchen. The library is located off the first-floor stairwell hallway. Large bay windows on the first floor provide spectacular views of Commencement Bay framed by the Olympic and Cascade mountains. The second floor features a long running hallway with oak hardwood floors that provides access to four bedrooms, a study, main bathroom and linen closet. The third-floor attic provided living quarters for the live-in staff.

Frederick Watson purchased two lots on what is now the corner of North 5th and D Streets and engaged the local architectural firm of Albert Sutton and James Pickles in 1890 to design a Colonial Revival style residence for himself and his new bride Elizabeth. The home was completed in 1892 and occupied by the family, which now included daughter Elizabeth. Frederick worked in mortgage loans, real estate and insurance and had offices in downtown Tacoma.

Franke Tobey Jones House (1892)

Hoska had arrived in Tacoma in 1883 with his spouse Grace while on their honeymoon, and the newlyweds soon were welcomed by the western boom town that would become known as the “City of Destiny.” They decided to make Tacoma their home, and once settled, Conrad joined with A.J. Littlejohn in starting an undertaking business. Grace and Conrad had two children: Imogen and Lukas. Hoska’s business interests branched out to include the purchase of major wheat lands in Eastern Washington. He had memberships in First Presbyterian Church, Chamber of Commerce, Masons, Knights of Pythias, Elks and Eagles. He was elected as a Democrat to three terms as Pierce County coroner and served on the Tacoma School Board. Grace was an active supporter of the YWCA. The Tourist Hotel was never completed, and a massive fire of mysterious origins gutted the unfinished building in 1898. On February 19, 1903, Hoska was joined by close friends Alfred Lister and Eric Edward Rosling on a morning stroll downtown to work. As they walked by what remained of the Tourist Hotel, Hoska and his two friends had an epiphany: Wouldn’t that be a perfect new Tacoma high school? Later that day, the three met with school board president William Coffee with the idea. School architect Frederick Heath agreed and advised the board to purchase the hotel remains and the adjacent gulch from the railroad. The next day the board met in a special meeting and, with the leadership of Coffee and board member Charles Drury, approved the purchase for $34,500. Stadium High School opened its doors three years later. Hoska died in 1910 and Grace moved from the residence. Soon after, the home was sold, subdivided and became the Marvin Apartments. (The Marvin Apartments sign was found by the current owners and can now be seen in the kitchen.) In the late 1940s the third floor and peaked roof were removed either by fire or earthquake. The new owners have beautifully restored the exterior of the home by rebuilding the third floor, with dormers, the front porch and restoring the columns supporting the porch’s roof. The home now looks much as it did in 1910. The living room includes the original stained-glass window as well as the fireplace with white and light blue tiles. The downstairs woodwork is all original. The dining room also includes an original stained-glass window and a fireplace that shows an inlaid Czech hunting scene. A 150-year-old family heirloom chandelier hangs in the dining room. The woodwork on the stairs leading to the second floor is also original. Restoration work continues on the second floor. The third floor, with expansive views, serves as a family rec room.

It was in 1890 that prominent Tacoman Conrad Hoska employed architects Charles Daniels and Samuel Cook to design a fine Federal Colonial home for his family just three blocks from Blackwell Point, the planned site of the grand Tourist Hotel to be built by the Northern Pacific Railroad. Hoska’s completed three-story, nine-room house included interior finishes of oak, California redwood, walnut, cherry and ash. The top floors provided grand views of Commencement Bay. Construction began on the hotel the following year.

Hoska House (1890)

John G. Proctor, for whom Tacoma's Proctor District is named and his partner, Oliver Dennis, designed the original Pierce County Court House (demolished in 1959) and the Bostwick Hotel. Proctor designed Victorian homes at 920 and 910 South Proctor for himself and Dennis. William Branscheid was the owner of the Tacoma Stove Co., located on Pacific Avenue. The Branscheids relocated to San Francisco in 1900 and they sold the home to Edward and Belle Shields in 1910. Shields was the vice president and general manager of the Northern Coast Timber Company and the Pacific States Lumber Company. The home was sold in 1918 to Henry and Katherine Walker. Walker was the manager of the Tacoma Smelting Co. in Ruston. He later became national president of ASARCO (American Smelting &amp; Refining Co.). Henry and Emily Walker (no relation) owned the home in the early 1930s. Emily Walker became a widely respected columnist for The News Tribune, beginning in the late 1940s as the newspaper's Washington, D.C., correspondent and, after returning to Tacoma in 1976, carrying on as a local columnist until 1990. Wayne and Diane Swanson purchased the home in 1984. Swanson was well known as a teacher of stained glass and ceramics at both Lincoln and Stadium high schools and as a restorer of historic homes. During the decade he owned the home, he added many stained-glass windows. Typical of the Queen Anne style is the full-width, wrap-around veranda that graces the home. The spacious entry retains its original double doors. The entry, living room, and dining room feature oak floors and ornate woodwork with medallions characteristic of the period. Leaded-glass bookcases (a late addition) now flank the wide fireplace in the living room. The bow window in the living room is matched by one across the home in the dining room. The light fixture in the dining room is original. The dining room table and chairs date from 1915. The c.1900 walnut buffet and china cabinet were made by Berkey and Gay. The kitchen has been updated. Current owners Peter and Johnette Maehren, who purchased the home in 1994, renovated the family room which was an addition to the original floor plan, installing period windows and woodwork. The main stairway features a curved wall and an ornate railing with turned finials. The master bedroom has a sitting area and a master bath where a nursery or closet once was. The brass light is original. The bedroom to the right of the main stairway has an angled entry.

William and Hattie Branscheid built this five-bedroom, 4,824-square-foot, Queen Anne-style home in 1889 at a cost of $6,000. The architecture firm which designed it was Proctor & Dennis; the contractor was William L. Barker. The Branscheids relocated to San Francisco in 1900. They sold the home to Edward and Belle Shields in 1910.

Branscheid House (1889)

Richard Vaeth was a Tacoma jeweler who began his business in a booth at John’s Pharmacy at 11th &amp; Pacific, now a Starbucks, before eventually upgrading into a full service Tiffany’s-style establishment. He also served as president of the Pacific Coast Gypsum Manufacturing Co. Vaeth was one of the first Tacomans to own a car, for which he ordered a custom concrete garage built in 1906, complete with private gas tank and pump. To inspire additional envy in his neighbors, he was famously pictured sitting in his new 6-cylinder Ford Model K in front of the garage in the Tacoma Daily Ledger on July 1, 1906. Vaeth’s two daughters, Hilda and Rhoda, were both married in the drawing room. Hilda’s wedding to Henry Hewitt Jr. was described in the Daily Ledger of July 31, 1910 with the words “Thousands of starry marguerites blossomed in high clusters in the corners…” The May 13, 1917 wedding of Rhoda and Vaughn Morrill was, in contrast “an apple blossom wedding and the rooms were bowered with beautiful blooming branches…” Current owners Andrew and Cathy Sarnat purchased the home after falling in love with it during a tour of the neighborhood in 1988. According to architectural historian Michael Sullivan, it was the No. 1 endangered historic property in the city at the time, and there were fears it would be demolished. The Sarnats’ painstaking restoration has brought the home back to life. On the inside, original oak wainscoting and woodwork line the first two floors. The parlor features a brick fireplace with ornately carved oak mantel, and gives way to the large drawing room and its massive fireplace and three original chandeliers through a wide archway. Wood panel doors lead from the drawing room into the library, with built in leaded-glass bookcases. The living room’s bay window and built in seating overlook the veranda, while the dining room has built in cupboards. The landing upstairs features elegant stained-glass windows, while the upper floors feature a number of decorative windows, including two set into the chimney beneath a Romanesque arch on the western side of the house. The second floor has six bedrooms and a bathroom with original tile floor and claw-foot tub. The third floor originally held the servants’ quarters, a billiards room, and an exercise room.

A uniquely refined mix of architectural styles, Richard and Louise Vaeth’s 6,207 square-foot mansion was built for $16,000, a princely sum in 1898. Designed by Scottish architect Ambrose J. Russell, it combines the proportions of the Shingle Style with Neoclassical Palladian, Gothic Revival, and Richardsonian Romanesque features in a delightfully asymmetrical Queen Anne package. The home almost gives the impression that Russell challenged himself to harmoniously fit as many architectural styles into a single home as he possibly could. With a prominent turret, an encircling octagonal veranda set on rustic stone foundations, Doric columns, triangular pediments, high chimneys, and steep rooflines capped in Gothic spires, the exterior speaks the word “elegance” in a multitude of languages. Follow the links below to enjoy a tour of the interior of this stunning home.

Vaeth Mansion (1898)

George Osgood came to Tacoma in 1887. With W. C. Wheeler and D. D. Clarke, Osgood founded the Wheeler-Osgood Co. in 1889. The company grew to become the world's largest maker of wooden doors and, later, a major plywood manufacturer. In 1897, the home was sold to Robert E. and Laura Anderson. Anderson, who came to Tacoma in 1889 from Iowa, established his own real estate, insurance, and loan business in 1890. A feature article in The Tacoma Sunday Ledger (8/22/1909) declared that he had done more than $5,000,000 in real estate transactions since 1900 and was "one of the largest owners of realty in the business district." In 1903, the Andersons hired architect Carl Darmer to remodel the home. The project included an addition to the rear of the home and extensive interior remodeling of the ground floor. Lindstrom and Berg, custom woodworkers, built an ornate oak staircase for the grand foyer.  Charles and Elizabeth Mclntyre owned the home from 1940 to 1959. He was a public relations executive for Weyerhaeuser. Mclntyre Hall at the University of Puget Sound is named in his honor. The home was converted to apartments in the 1960s and many interior features were modified or removed. Current owners Todd and Paula Bond purchased the home in 2005 and undertook major restoration and renovation. The exterior of the home has been completely restored, including new shingles and roof. The vintage front door came from Seattle. In the entry foyer, the oak staircase has been completely rebuilt, and the oak woodwork restored or replaced. The fireplace mantel and Black granite surround, which date from 1905, were originally in a Chicago mansion. The parlor has a bay window. The three windows are custom-built replacements. The parlor fireplace has two fluted-mahogany Ionic columns; all the other woodwork in the parlor is oak. The living room occupies what was, before the 1903 remodel, the dining room. Pocket doors separate the living room from the dining room. The pocket doors have mahogany veneer on the living room side, while oak faces the dining room. The angled China cabinets and the dining room date from Banner's remodel. The kitchen has vintage cabinets of unknown age. The second floor features a study/library; a nicely tiled full bath (from 190T); a full-width master bedroom with a balcony, a fireplace and sitting area, and a bay window; and a smaller bedroom and a walk-in closet. The third floor has three bedrooms and a bath.

Architect Albert Sutton designed an eleven-room American stick-built home for George R. and Carrie Osgood in 1893 at a cost of $3,500. Sutton, a rising architect in Tacoma's early decades, formed the firm of Sutton & Whitney in 1912 and designed many Tacoma landmarks, including the Rust Building, the National Bank of Washington, Annie Wright Seminary, and Jones Hall at the University of Puget Sound. 

Osgood-Anderson House (1893)

Ambrose Russell designed this grand Prairie-style home of 5,597 square feet for George and Minnie Dickson in 1909 at a cost of $30,000. Mrs. Dickson worked with Russell closely; and her taste and inspiration is most evident in the interior of the home. George Dickson came to Tacoma in 1882 and opened Dickson Brothers clothing in 1883 with his brother William. George died in 1935, Minnie in 1949—both at the home. Dr. Murray Johnson and his wife Helen bought the home in the early 1950s. Current owners Devitt and Deborah Barnett purchased the home in 2004. The influence of Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie style, as well as the Arts and Crafts movement, is clearly seen in the prominent low-pitch roof of green tile that provides broad eaves and sweeps gracefully over the spacious porch. The first and second floors are done in different materials in a way that visually lowers the home's profile. The first floor and basement are constructed of locally quarried granite, which emphatically "anchors" the home. The second floor is done in contrasting cement stucco, which is strikingly banded horizontally both above and below the windows with inlaid glazed Moravian tiles. Vertical tile runs, with special accent tiles, join the horizontal bands, framing and highlighting the windows. The exterior entry porch features glazed tile. The wide oak entry door has its original ornate bronze doorknocker. The wide entry hall features tapered posts in mahogany surrounded by inlaid oak. The mahogany Art Nouveau appliques to the posts, which soften the Arts and Crafts design, add visual interest. The living room, to the right, has an arched fireplace with Rookwood tile and andirons with maquette-size replicas of Florentine statues. The beams are mahogany. The dining room has oak beams and original burlap wallpaper on the ceiling. The fireplace has Rookwood tiles done in a leaves-and-grapes motif. The original chandelier is by Duffner &amp; Kimberly. The floor in the entry, living room, and dining room is Australian gumwood. The grand staircase at the rear of the entry features quarter-sawn oak. The stairway posts are unusual and are fashioned with inlaid quarter-sawn oak veneer. The winged lion at the base of the stairway is especially noteworthy. The stairway landing has an inviting window seat. The second floor has four bedrooms and a full bath. The kitchen has been redone with period cabinets and an oak breakfast nook. The outer hall has a small bath. The fully finished basement has a grand entertainment room with a billiard table at one end and a bandstand at the other. The cork-tile floor under the billiard table is striking. The entry to the room has the original hall tree and pool cue holder. The half bath still has its original tile floor and ornate porcelain fixtures.

Ambrose Russell designed this grand Prairie-style home of 5,597 square feet for George and Minnie Dickson in 1909 at a cost of $30,000. The influence of Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie style, as well as the Arts and Crafts movement, is clearly seen in the prominent low-pitch roof of green tile that provides broad eaves and sweeps gracefully over the spacious porch.

Dickson House (1909)

William Virges, a graduate of the University of Bonn, emigrated from Germany to the US in 1882, first to New York, then to Seattle. He purchased a drugstore in Tacoma in 1892 and relocated here in 1894. In 1897, he and Anton Huth organized the Pacific Brewing and Malting Company. In 1918 he co-founded the National Soap and National Cocoanut Butter companies. In 1926, he opened the fourth Virges Drug Company store in the new Winthrop Hotel. Virges was also active in civic affairs including the building of Tacoma General Hospital and as co-founder of the Tacoma Country and Golf Club. Arthur and Barbara Anderson purchased the home in 1958. Arthur received a doctorate in engineering from MIT in 1938. He and his brother Tom, also an engineer, founded Concrete Technology Corporation and ABAM Engineers in 1951. Concrete Technology was the first US producer of pre-stressed concrete beams, columns, etc. Their many renowned projects included Cheney Stadium and the Seattle and Disney World monorails. Philip and Sandra Ray are the proud owners of this historic home. The grand entry has California oak flooring with intricate mahogany-inlay edging and a meticulously restored stairway. The grandfather clock is original to the home, as are the unique mirrors in the living room and library. The living room features a fireplace faced with Italian marble and Honduran mahogany. The curved bay window and curved, scrolled wall covering and the nine wall sconces date from 1913. The window retains the original brass curtain rods. French doors lead to the sun porch, termed a conservatory in the architectural plan. The library has its original tiled fireplace, built-in bookcases, oak wainscoting, and beam ceilings. Folding glass-panel doors lead to the breakfast room, which has a faux-leather inserts above high wainscoting. The contemporary, gourmet kitchen has a hanging-shelf fixture over the range that was custom made by Dr. Ray. Beyond the kitchen are a half bath and an office/study. Originally the servants’ quarters. The dining room features a striking blue tile trimmed fireplace, and a 19th century French Buffet. The second floor has a master bedroom and bath, a sitting room with a fireplace and curved bay window with original wall sconces and leaded-glass windows and office, a sewing room, and two guest bedrooms, one with original wall sconces. The billiards room on the third floor is now used for table tennis.

In 1903 famed Tacoma architect Carl August Darmer designed this stately Colonial-revival home for William and Anna Virges. In 1913 the Virges family remodeled and expanded the home (at a cost of $25,000). A redesign by Darmer’s partner, Everett Cutting, added the south wing, a solarium and a carriage house, bringing the total square footage of the main house to just under 5.000 square feet.

Virges House (1903)

Lucius Manning came to the city from Oswego, New York, organized the Pacific National Bank, established a real estate and mortgage company and played a role in securing the right-of-way for the Chicago and Milwaukee railway when its lines reached Tacoma. Manning was a charter member of the Union Club. The Manning home, now known as the Chinaberry Hill Inn, became renowned for its innovative gardens and landscaped terraces designed by Edward Otto Schwagerl, who also landscaped nearby Wright Park and Point Defiance Park. Of particular note is his uniquely engineered retaining wall described in the Tacoma Ledger, as being of “peculiar beauty and great strength. It is nature reproduced, being rugged and cliff like.” The Eastlake style mansion was the scene of many fashionable social gatherings and newspaper reports of the times lavished praise on the blooming vines and brilliant flowers, the multitude of roses and the abundance of exotic greenery not known to Tacomans of the period. The much-talked-about gardens of the Manning home set a new landscaping standard for homeowners of the neighborhood to emulate. Winding stone steps lead past lush mature plantings to the mansion’s entrance. A wrap around porch stretches the length of the northern and eastern façades, offering commanding water views. The impressive formal entry features ornate original oak woodwork, a grand staircase and massive pocket doors leading to the formal living and sitting rooms. The formal living room has a fireplace and bay windows with water views. The formal dining room features a ceiling height leaded glass oak hutch and opens directly to the sitting room, which has another bay window and fireplace. Through the sitting room is a large eat-in kitchen with access to the rear yard. On the second floor are three bedrooms, one with its own fireplace. The current residents have living spaces on the third floor. (Detailed description from <a href="https://www.oldhouses.com/6659" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">OldHouses.com</a>) Inside the 1889 home, extensive collection of Tacoma memorabilia, historical photographs, Victorian arts and crafts, and antique furnishings evocatively capture the spirit of the city at its turn-of-the-century heyday. The home’s original woodwork, lighting fixtures featuring Steuben glass and innovative intercom system are not to be missed. The adjacent carriage house was beautifully restored as a living space. The tranquil grounds feature spacious side yards and old growth trees and shrubbery. Much of the restoration and repurposing of the mansion, now known as Chinaberry Hill Inn, was accomplished by prior owner Larry Williams. Current owners Beverly Howe and Andy Rush have carried on that rich and enduring tradition. The Inn is on the National Register of Historic Places and has been featured in Sunset Magazine, Travel and Leisure, Northwest Best Places, and Seattle Magazine.

This Queen Anne Victorian mansion, with sweeping views of Commencement Bay and the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, was designed and built in 1889 for Lucius R. Manning by renowned state architect and icon of early Tacoma, John G. Proctor. The Manning home, now known as the Chinaberry Hill Inn, became renowned for its innovative gardens and landscaped terraces designed by Edward Otto Schwagerl, who also landscaped nearby Wright Park and Point Defiance Park.

Manning House (1889)

Over its many years the congregation has worshipped in three different church buildings and one town hall as well as in a large tent. The first church was erected in December 1882 at 11th and Broadway (where the Woolworth building is now). As the city grew, the congregation built again in June 1890 at South 10th and G Streets, near the old Pierce County Court House. The church expanded rapidly under the leadership of Dr. Clarence W. Weyer, who came in December 1915 and started eleven Sunday Schools throughout Tacoma which later became Presbyterian churches. These were the turbulent years of World War I. The church expanded so rapidly that planning began in 1921 for the current church building. Designed by the famous Boston church architect Ralph Adams Cram, this masterpiece in Romanesque architecture has an 1,100-seat sanctuary and 150-seat chapel, social halls, and educational spaces for Sunday and weekday activities (including a preschool and elementary). The building is rich in Christian symbolism expressed in stone, wood, stained glass and mosaic. When it was built it had the largest Reuter pipe organ west of the Mississippi. It's still used to this day for Sunday morning worship services. Under the leadership of Dr. J. Renwick McCullough, from 1936 to 1949, the church congregation grew to its maximum size. During World War II the church opened its doors and beds for servicemen; and the ladies of the church cooked meals for them every weekend. Over the period of McCullough's ministry the church sent out over 20 missionaries around the world. Another dynamic pastor, Dr. Albert J. Lindsey, came in 1949. He enlarged the church's vision to world-wide missions and radio ministry. Week-long missions' conferences were held yearly as well as week-long Vacation Bible Schools for children. The Tacoma Bible Institute, which Dr. Lindsey founded and served as president for its first ten years, held classes two nights a week. He started a 15-minute daily radio broadcast, called "Good News", on a local radio station until he retired in 1983. "Good News" reached thousands of people all over the Northwest. In December 1986 First Presbyterian purchased the Buckley-King Mortuary building to provide the church with additional office and meeting space. A new pastor, Rev. Eric Jacobsen, was installed in June 2005. His vision of reaching out to the neighborhood has sparked renewed growth and vitality; and his leadership is providing new direction for this historic urban church. Learn more about this building by following the links below.

Predating the official founding of New Tacoma by eight months, seven people met with the regional Presbytery on July 27, 1873 to form "The Tacoma Presbyterian Church". This eventually became today's First Presbyterian Church. The financial crash of that year scattered many in the small congregation, but the church was reinstated on September 11, 1877. This church has a long history in Tacoma.

Stadium Historic District - Historic Homes Tour (2020)

Huth Mansion (1903)

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information