St. Leo’s at 1323 Yakima Ave., Tacoma, is having their annual Fair Trade Market this weekend (Friday 4-7pm, Saturday Nov 17, 1-7pm and Sunday Nov 18, 9am-2pm). There were plenty of vendors, both Fair Trade and local folks. The building was constructed in 1912 and the architect was C. Frank Mahon. I remember when we first moved to Tacoma, I would attend Tacoma Actor’s Guild plays in the theater here. I admire the social justice program and food bank at St. Leo’s
The old Acton Cemetery was founded in 1855 and has the graves of Davy Crocket’s wife, son and daughter in law. The grouping of the Crocket graves and associated statue are the smallest state park in Texas. The statue was erected in 1911 to honor all Texas pioneer mothers. The Church of the Good Shepard is located at the edge of the cemetery.
The First Congregational Church at 918 Division Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98403 is being sold to Mars Hill Church. The church will be renovated and services for the new congregation will begin in about a year. First Congregational Church was built in 1908 with George Bullard as the architect. I was pleased that the building will not be razed.
The sign outside of the church says “God’s love embraces all persons equally, no matter their gender, race, or sexual identity.” I hope that the church’s new congregation feels the same way!
We went to Patty’s Burgers for milkshakes and I admired the light reflecting off the steeple of the Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 3314 South 58th Street, Tacoma. The church was dedicated in 1913, the school in 1924 and the addition to the school in 1949.
Monday dear daughter and I went to see a movie produced by a classmates of hers. The premier showing was at Tacoma’s First Presbyterian Church at 20 Tacoma Avenue South in the Stadium District. The church was founded in 1873 to meet the needs of the settlers. This is the church’s third location with the construction was completed in 1925 at a cost of $500,000. Per their website says “A masterpiece of Romanesque architecture, it was designed by famous church architect Ralph Adams Cram and is rich in Christian symbolism expressed in stone, wood, glass and mosaic”. The congregation’s website is here www.fpctacoma.com/
Today I went to say goodbye to a friend at Immanuel Presbyterian Church at 901 North J Street in Tacoma. The church, which was constructed in 1909, is beautiful with its mission styling and stained glass windows. It’s long history is explained on the congregation’s website http://www.ipctacoma.org/about.php?id=4
The theater then church at 5441 South M Street has seen better days. It was constructed in 1924 as an early movie theater with 500 seats. Their first movie was Lights Out. On October 6, 1930 there was extensive damage when a bomb went off (there must be a story there!). Per the Tacoma Public Library, Kurt Cobain and the rock band Skid Row (later Nirvana) played their first public show here! Online information indicates that Templo Maranatha now owns the space.
Go here to see photographs of the property when it was new, http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/buildings/bldg1up.asp?n=19979
Thanks Tacoma Public Library!
I love big claims… the world’s best pizza, burgers, etc. I love that Wallingford claims to be the center of the universe and I also love that Tacoma’s First Church of the Nazarene at 3640 South M is the Epicenter of Hope. So on this snowy day I drove over to the church to snap a photo. Their sign says that they have English and Latino Gatherings and that there is a Samoan Service at 2:00 on Sundays.
Tacoma has some wonderful, historic church buildings and the Trinity Presbyterian Church at 1615 6th Ave, Tacoma, WA 98405 is one of the best. It is a massive, brick structure that was constructed in 1922 and was originally known as the First United Presbyterian Church.
To read more about the church, go to their website. http://tpctacoma.org/