Tag Archives: gothic

Judge Wilson House in Lakewood

15997589223_b0cde1332d_k(1)After a trip to the Lakewood History Museum, I went off on their driving tour beginning with the Judge Wilson House (a private residence). The map can be found here.

Per the driving tour map:

The Judge Wilson House, a Gothic Revival two-story structure, was built ca. 1885, the same year the Western Steel Company built a plant in the vicinity hoping to make the area, known as Lakeview, the new Pittsburgh of the west. Judge Wilson was the superintendent of the short-lived company which closed by 1893.

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First Lutheran Church

collage2There is a glorious magnolia tree in front of the First Lutheran Church at 524 South “I” Street, Tacoma, WA. The church was founded in 1882 and their current building was finished in 1929. The church’s original mission was to support Swedish immigrants. There website is here.

The First Evangelical Lutheran Church was designed by Heath, Gove & Bell, arch. The Gothic design is tapestry brick with Tenino stone trim and an oak interior. An addition was added in 1957.

Lutheran Church

 

Ford Building and Crescent Ballroom

Originally uploaded by Gexydaf

 

The Ford Building and Crescent Ballroom have always been a mystery to me. They are located on the edge of downtown, but not on a main drag and have been beautifully restored. According to the Tacoma Public Library the Ford Building portion of the structure was built in 1918 with E.J. Bresemann as the architect. The building originally housed the Manley-Thompson Ford Agency.

The Auditorium (that was its original name) had opened January 11, 1922. The Gothic structure was designed by Roland Borhek. It was the home to many dances, as well as appearances by such diverse performers as Rudolph Valentino, Duke Ellington, Paul Revere and The Raiders, Soundgarden and Nirvana. In 1931, the two buildings were remodeled, combined and renamed the Crescent Ballroom. This part of the property now functions as a warehouse. The mirrored ball from the original ballroom has been restored and now hangs in the South Park Community Center.

The importance of the Crescent Ballroom can be gleaned here.
http://pnwbands.com/crescent.html

TRA Medical Imaging purchased the property in 2007 for $2,500,000, and after considerable renovation opened it as their administrative office in July 2008.