1402 North 5th Street (1903)

Proctor & Farrell designed this 1903 Four-Square for Ernest Lister, future eighth governor of Washington. In 1884, at age 14, Lister immigrated with his family from England. His uncle and father operated a local iron foundry where Ernest worked. At the time this house was built, Lister and his brother had formed the Lister Lumber Company and a real estate company.

Proctor & Farrell designed this 1903 Four-Square for Ernest Lister, future eighth governor of Washington. In 1884, at age 14, Lister immigrated with his family from England. His uncle and father operated a local iron foundry where Ernest worked. At the time this house was built, Lister and his brother had formed the Lister Lumber Company and a real estate company.

Lister was elected governor in 1913 as the first Democrat to hold the office in more than 12 years. He was re-elected in 1917 but during 1919 he suffered a heart attack and died in office at age 48. During Lister’s tenure, Boeing began making airplanes, surveys were completed for the Grand Coulee Dam, and a bridge was built across the Columbia at Vancouver. Tacoma was at the height of its political power at this time: Overton Ellis, Chief Justice, lived at 613 North K Street; Guy Kelly, the Speaker, lived at 924 North L Street, and Louis F. Hart, Lt. Governor (Governor upon Lister’s death) lived at 617 North Oaks Street.

John Proctor served as the state architect for Washington and designed the Old State Capitol Building (the first Thurston County Courthouse), Western State Hospital, the Old Soldiers Home in Orting, and the Old Pierce County Courthouse (1893). The Proctor business district is named after him since his house was located in that area and his name was used for the telephone exchange. Oliver Perry Dennis, a native of New York, worked as an architect in Tacoma from 1888 until 1901. Most of his work was done in partnership with John G. Proctor under the name of Proctor & Dennis. Dennis later moved to California. Proctor then partnered with Farrell to form Proctor & Farrell.

Oliver Perry Dennis:

• 506 N Ainsworth Avenue (1893)
• 1605 Division Avenue (1893)
• 515 N Sheridan Avenue (1892)
• 517 N Sheridan Avenue (1892)

Proctor & Dennis:

• 1218 North I Street (1889)
• 1220 North I Street (1889)
• 517 North J Street (1889)
• 714–16 North K Street (1889)
• 517 N Sheridan Street (1892)

Proctor & Farrell:

• 1402 North 5th Street (1903)
• 922 North 11th Street (1903)
• 502 North I Street (1904)
• 624 North J Street (1902)
• 924 North J Street (1906)

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