523 North J Street (1895)

This was the home of George Wesley Bullard, one of Tacoma’s early architects. He designed and built this neo-colonial home in 1895, in which he wed his wife Anna Heath. Anna was a teacher, an early principal of Lincoln High School, and a member of the school board. Before marrying Bullard, she lived at 424 North M Street.

Designed by architect George Wesley Bullard, this house was actually his own home. He was one of Tacoma’s early architects, and he designed and built this neo-colonial home in 1895, in which he wed his wife Anna Heath. Anna was a teacher, an early principal of Lincoln High School, and a member of the school board. Before marrying Bullard, she lived at 424 North M Street.¹

Courtesy of Tacoma Historical Society:

"The Bullards sold the home in 1906 to Daniel and Jessie Kinney. He was the purchasing agent for the Northwestern Improvement Co. They sold the home in 1922 to longtime owners Salvi and Carmel Gargliardi, who lived there until the mid-1970s.

"Salvi Gargliardi, born in Malita, Italy in 1888, migrated to America in 1907 after finishing high school. He worked for a railroad a short tine before ending up in Spokane, where he went to business school at night and then to Gonzaga University, working a number of jobs to support himself. He received his bachelor's degree in 1912 and continued his education at Gonzaga's law school, graduating in 1915. He and Carmel, a Spokane native he met at Gonzaga, married in 1914 and moved to Tacoma in 1916. Within a dozen years Salvi became a prominent Tacoma attorney and a member of many boards of directors (and a founding board member of Medosweet Dairies). Salvi, an admirer of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, named one of his sons George Thomas and the other Thomas George.

"The front of the home, with prominent full-width porches and stately columns on both main levels, looks as it did when Bullard designed it."²

It should be noted that architect and first resident George Wesley Bullard also designed the Tuell-McKee Funeral Home building (1927) and the former Casey's Tavern building (1928) on 6th Ave, now known as the Asado Restaurant. He is also credited with many notable buildings around Tacoma, including the Provident Building on Pacific Avenue which was once home to the Tacoma Historical Society, the Tacoma Buddhist Temple (1931), the Garner Building (1906; now home to KNKX Public Radio), the old YMCA building (1909) on Market Street, and numerous homes in the Tacoma North Slope Historic District. For many, perhaps Bullard's most significant structure was the Ferry Museum (1911) next to Stadium Bowl, which has been home to the Washington State Historical Society for many years. His brother Samuel was also an architect in Tacoma.

Architect George Wesley Bullard

George W. 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 Association of Architects.

OTHER HOUSES DESIGNED BY GEORGE W. BULLARD:

• 1515 North 7th Street (1890)
• 514 North Sheridan Ave (1902)
• 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)

For the next stop on the North Slope Historic District tour, turn right (south) onto North 5th Street ...

1. A Walking Tour of the North Slope Historic District. Tacoma, WA. Historic Tacoma Press, 2008.
2. Historic Homes of Tacoma Tour 2015. Tacoma, WA. Tacoma Historical Society, 2015.