Tag Archives: historic register

A smooch on Grays River Covered Bridge

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Sometimes it is good to have a small, doable goal. My goal of the day was to take a photo of every working covered bridge in Washington State. The Grays River Covered Bridge in western Wahkiakum County, Washington is Washington State’s only such bridge, though there are several others that are not operational or not public. This bridge was constructed in 1905 to facilitate the horse and wagon traffic of nearby farms. The cover was added in 1908 to protect the wood trusses. It was placed on the national registry of historic places in 1971 and the historic nomination form can be found here. Over the years, the bridge fell into disrepair and was renovated and reconstructed in 1988 and rededicated in 1989. The bridge span is 155.5 feet and the height of the bridge is 22.5 feet. The bridge is part of the Ahlberg Park which is the site of an annual covered bridge festival. A much better photo and more information can be found in the Wikipedia article. It was raining so hard and for so long that I just couldn’t bring myself to go out in the wet field for the photographic shot! Though I did include a bonus photo of a nearby barn!

Dear husband remembered the tradition of covered bridges being kissing bridges and claimed a kiss mid-span. It use to be, back in the day of wagons, that young folks would take advantage of the privacy of the covered bridges for a kiss or two.

It has been about 10 years since I’ve been on a covered bridge, with the last one being Emily’s Bridge in Vermont. Vermont wins the contest for the state with the most covered bridges. I actually have a photo of that Vermont bridge from ten years ago.

Emily’s Bridge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perkins House, Colfax, WA

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The drive out to Pullman, WA from Tacoma is a long one and I especially don’t like doing it over a weekend (one day there and one day back). But it was time for dear daughter to come home and off we went. I mentioned that I wanted to stop at Colfax on the way home to see a log cabin. The website I found said “Perkins House, Colfax, built in 1886, an original log cabin.” So I figured the Perkins House was a log cabin. I imagined it would take five minutes to walk around a small cabin, snap a couple of pictures and be on our way.

But when we got there it turned out to be an amazing house and a log cabin, and it was open to the public. Dear daughter happily agreed to a tour (muttering that it was my mother’s day present) and our guide took us through the entire property, sharing the history. Really, it was fascinating, well worth the stop. The property was placed on the national historic register in 1972.

We learned that Mr. Perkins founded Colfax and the local saw mill. He, his wife and their four children lived in the log cabin (built in 1870, the oldest standing building in the county) for a while, but in 1880s moved into the lovely Victorian house. We also got to hear an early record player and listen to the honey bees that live in the wall. We especially loved the wallpaper, which was mostly reproduced based on the original. Oh, did I mention, there is an outhouse with the traditional moon on the door? Our volunteer guide was terrific, so pleasant and knowledgeable. He was also patient with our many questions.

 

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Downtown Moscow, Idaho

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MoscowEvery time I visit dear daughter at WSU, I pop across state lines to visit Downtown Moscow, home of the University of Idaho’s Vandels. It really is a charming downtown with a selection of restaurants and shops. I love the bookstore, Book People of Moscow, and Cafe Artista. This time I also tried Moscow Bagel and Deli and it was yum. The Moscow Downtown Historic District includes 60 buildings and was placed on the National Historic Register in 2005.

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imageimageimageimageDowntown Moscow

Wyland Mural on the Bowes Building

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Tacoma has one of the 100 Wyland Whaling Wall murals “Washington Orcas” around the world and its on the Bowes Building at 100 South 9th Street in Downtown Tacoma. Currently the main level of the building is occupied by Big Whiskey Saloon, but the building has a long history. The architect was Edward Heath and the building was  constructed in 1908 in white Vermont marble. The property was added to the National Historic Register and the Tacoma Register in 1979. Edward J. Bowes, the original owner, eventually gained a national reputation as an entertainment figure. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bowes

Over the years, the occupants have included: Pacific Bldg. & Loan Assoc., M. Schmidt & Son Merchant Tailors, Tacoma Savings & Loan Assoc., All About Travel, Pacific Rim Restaurant, Zeppo Italian Restaurant, and Seven Cities Restaurant.

Wylan started painting his large murals in the 1980s. This was his 21st mural and I remember taking my lunch break from my downtown job at the time to watch him paint. I was fascinated. There were four Whaling Walls in Washington State, but sadly now only the Tacoma one remains.

http://www.wyland.com/

The (Haunted) Old City Hall

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Rumor has it that Old City Hall at 625 Commerce Street is haunted by a ghost named Gus.

http://www.ghostsandcritters.com/washingtonghosts.html

The building has a varied history. It was built in 1893 as Tacoma’s City Hall (E.A. Hatherton, Architect) and the original jail cells are still located in the building’s basement. In 1959, City of Tacoma offices moved and the building was vacant until 1969. In the 1970s the building was renovated into shops and restaurants and in 1974 it was placed on the historic register. In the 1980s it was converted into professional offices. I even worked there for a couple of years and enjoyed a water view! In 2005 there was talk of converting the property into condominiums. Thanksgiving week 2010 there was a flood brought on by a broken sprinkler pipe. The property is vacant.

The building has a dedicated website here http://www.thestratfordcompany.com/oldcityhall/

A wonderful post of the building when it was new can be found here http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/postcard/postcardfull.asp?db=60#Front

701 North 10th Street, Tacoma

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The 1908 Beutel, Conrad F. and Annie K. House at 701 North 10th, Tacoma, WA is on the Tacoma Register of Historic Places. It was converted into four apartments and I noticed that one of the four is available to rent. The original owner of the property, Beutel owned the Beutel Business College, which operated out of Downtown Tacoma’s Lucerne Building.

The nomination form is here http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/07001459.pdf

South 10th Street in this area is paved with cobble stones that gave my car a rattle!

Adam Plenning Residence

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The Adam Plenning Residence at 1524 S. Cushman St.,Tacoma, WA 1905 is a two story wood frame cottage with gable roof and cross gable that added to Tacoma Register by Resolution No.33231 on 12/5/1995.

The house is described as a “wall dormer which rests on a side first story three sided bay. There is a half round window with keystone in the front end gable end. Gables have returned eaves and dentils. Windows are one over one double hung. The three sided front bay has hip roof. The over the door porch has a gable roof with small column supports and balustrade. The house is covered with clapboard siding.”

To see how the building looked when it was constructed, go here http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/buildings/bldg1image.asp?j=1&o=3&n=13098&i=9771#text

Charles Madson House

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The Charles Madson House at 1419 South Sheridan is another Tacoma residence on the Tacoma Register of Historic Places. The house was constructed in 1909 – 1910 in the Hilltop neighborhood. It was constructed for Charles Madson who was a chief for the City Restaurant.  He lived in the house until 1928. The nomination form states “The (home’s) owners also reflect the ethnic diversity and cultural changes of the Hilltop”. It goes on to say that the design of the house is influenced by both the Arts and Crafts and Queen Anne movements.

Pacific Grill

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The Pacific Grill, located at 1502 Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma, has a splendid happy hour which extends fro 11:30 – 10 Monday through Thursday, 11:30 – 11 on Friday and 5 – 11 on Saturday.  Besides the normal drink specials, most of the food on the bar menu is half price and delightful food it is! An appetizer handily makes a meal.

http://www.pacificgrilltacoma.com/

The restaurant occupies the lower level of the 1890 Waddell Building which was substantially renovated and incorporated into new Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in 2004. The building is listed on the historic register. A photo of the building as it appeared in 1979, prior to renovation, can be found here:

http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/images/dt6n.asp?un=5&pg=1&krequest=subjects+contains+Waddell+Building+and+Tacoma+&stemming=&phonic=&fuzzy=&maxfiles=

 

For Students that need an alternative, Oakland School

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I was driving around today, taking advantage of a little daylight and a break in the rain when I spotted this building up on the hill. I hadn’t noticed it before, but it looked interesting so I figured out how to get there. Oh! It is Oakland School! I wondered where that was. It is a 8th – 12th grade alternative school for Tacoma students.

Oakland School (3319 S. Adams Street) was built in 1912 by Heath and Gove and qualifies for, but is not yet on, the local register of historic places. The architect was F. H. Heath, who was also the architect for Stadium High School, Lincoln High School, Pythian Temple (all in Tacoma) and Paradise Inn at Mt. Rainier. The architectural style is Jacobean Gothic.

Per Wikipedia, the school served elementary students until 1988, at which time it became an alternative school for high school students. During 2009-10, approximately 250 students attended Oakland. OHS also added a middle school component in the 2009-10 school year.

According to the Washington State Report Card, the school has 235 students, with more boys (58%) than girls. The annual drop out rate is 43%, which is dramatically higher than the 7% figure for the district as a whole. The program at Oakland is designed to meet the needs of students struggling with traditional high school, through an alternative schedule and small school environment.

http://www.tacoma.k12.wa.us/Schools/hs/Pages/Oakland.aspx