5213 South Tacoma Way (1927)

Built around the year of 1927, this petite brick structure home had originally housed the Independent Grocery Company's third store in Tacoma. A number of other businesses have also called this location home. During the Great Depression era the South Tacoma Cycle and Radio Company replaced the Independent Grocery Company.

Not long after its construction in 1927, the grocery store business was replaced in 1935 by the Sheridan Tavern, which changed its name to the Semaphore Tavern around 1950. The Semaphore continued to occupy the building until 1968. Alfredo and Ida Gasperetti and George and Adelfa Gasperetti were owners of the Semaphore. The Gasperettis were notable business leaders in South Tacoma and owned a number of different establishments in the neighborhood.

A native of Italy, Alfredo Gasperetti moved to Tacoma in 1901 and operated several different food-based businesses. In 1901 he opened the Toscano Café, which operated until 1938. He then operated Primo’s Café until his retirement in 1950. Alfredo and his wife, Ida, had two sons, Primo and George. Primo started working as a waiter at his parents’ café and opened his own establishment, Primo’s (at 8602 South Tacoma Way) in 1938 where he would often jump on stage and sing with the big band. After running Primo’s for a decade he decided to branch out into other businesses and opened a flower stand. He was also Pierce County’s largest supplier of New Year’s party favors, and one of the largest suppliers of fireworks in the county, opening his first stand, Primo’s Crackerpot, right after World War II. The family were active members of St. Rita’s, a national Catholic church, where mass was spoken in Italian. During the early 1900s Tacoma’s Italian population grew quickly and by 1912 had formally requested a national church from the Catholic diocese. The request was granted, and in 1924 the stucco-clad building was finished. The church still has an active congregation and is located at 1401 South Ainsworth Avenue in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood.

Historic South Tacoma Way. Tacoma, WA. Historic Tacoma Press, 2011.