Tacoma’s Sacred Places, Religious Worship Buildings from 1873 until 1965

Tacoma’s Sacred Places, Religious Worship Buildings from 1873 until 1965 First Presbyterian, ca 1926, Tacoma Public Library A1208-0 Reconnaissance Level Survey Prepared by: For: Office of Historic Preservation Caroline T Swope, M.S.H.P., Ph.D Kingstree Studios 2902 North Cedar St Tacoma, WA 98407 City of Tacoma Economic Development Department Culture and Tourism Division 747 Market Street, Room 1036 Tacoma, WA 98402 This Reconnaissance Level Survey of Tacoma’s Sacred Places has been financed in part with Federal funds from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior and administered by the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) and the City of Tacoma Historic Preservation Program Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places However, the contents and opinions not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior or DAHP This program received Federal funds from the National Park Service Regulations of the U.S Department of Interior strictly prohibit unlawful discrimination in departmental Federally Assisted Programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, or handicap Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility operated by a recipient of Federal assistance should write to: Director, Equal Opportunity Program, U.S Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C 20240 The City of Tacoma’s Office of Historic Preservation publicly solicited proposals for this project on February 23, 2009 Table of Contents Project background 4-9 Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places Survey Management Final Product Documentation Research Objectives Survey Methodology Prior Survey Activity Project Outreach 5 Historical Outline 9-11 Conclusion & Recommendations 12-16 Declining Religious Congregations Potential Tools to Help Maintain Historic Houses of Worship Wood Churches Appendix A: Building Construction Ecclesiastical Styles 12-13 13-14 14-16 17-27 Gothic Revival Neo-Classical & Colonial Revivals Tudor Revival Mission Revival Romanesque & Byzantine Revivals Craftsman Vernacular Modern 19-20 21 23 22 22 24 25-26 26-27 Appendix B: Major Architects 28-35 George W Bullard Frederick Henry Heath Lea, Pearson, & Richards Lundberg & Mahon McGuire & Muri Silas E Nelsen Robert Billsbrough Price Paul Thiry 29 29-30 30-31 31-32 32 33 33-34 34-35 Bibliography 36-41 Project Background This project focuses on religious worship spaces, and in some cases larger complexes with auxiliary buildings used for religious education, fellowship Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places or pastoral housing throughout the entire city of Tacoma There are a number of communities and neighborhoods spread thought the city and in many instances these sacred places serve or have served the ethnic groups or social boundaries defined by individual neighborhoods In some cases, congregations are more representative of a particular religion or ethnic group than a neighborhood Survey Management This project was administered by the City of Tacoma’s Historic Preservation Office Kingstree Studios is a local cultural resource management firm Caroline T Swope, principal of Kingstree Studios, coordinated, supervised, and edited this project A major component of this project, as defined under section of the response, was community outreach and volunteer support The consultant worked closely with Historic Tacoma and their Sacred Places Events, which included a public speaking engagement on May 28th, attendance at most of the planning meetings (where 15 of the city’s historic religious congregations met) There were an additional congregations that asked for more detailed information regarding historic registry status, and individualized contact was initiated with these congregations as well Ms Swope conducted the field surveys, photographed the buildings, and generated new database inventory forms from the field survey While this project was advertised as a reconnaissance survey, volunteer help provided significant research efforts devoted to a full search of the Tacoma Public Library’s records for each church surveyed This remarkable volunteer effort was led by Historic Tacoma’s summer intern, Kelly Smith, a senior Historic Preservation student at Savannah College of Art and Design Ms Smith worked on this project full time through most of the summer She was assisted by a number of volunteers, ranging from congregational members, Landmark Preservation Commissioners, and community historians Final Product Documentation The final product, as delivered to the City of Tacoma’s Office of Historic Preservation: Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places One set, original black and white, single-sided paper copies of the individual Historic Property Inventory Forms, bound One original paper Summary Report, 2009 One copy of the Historic Tacoma produced “Sacred Spaces” pamphlet One CD including: the updated Historic Property Database with, Photofile of linked photos Historic Property Inventory.mdb One CD including: the Summary Report Master digital images Research Objectives This project has several objectives: To find and document every pre-1965 structure built for religious services in the city of Tacoma To review previous surveys of Tacoma, that have inventoried these buildings previously To provide an outline of Tacoma’s religious architecture, both in terms of styles, architects, and broader development by denomination, neighborhood, or ethnic group, where possible To provide recommendations for future study and suggestions for how the City of Tacoma might more effectively help provide resources for stewards of historic congregations, which are not eligible for many of the traditional preservation incentives Survey Methodology According to the U.S Census Bureau, Tacoma encompasses more than 62 square miles Fifty of these acres are land, while the remaining portion is in Commencement Bay The City of Tacoma’s GIS Analysis and Data Services Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places pulled records for every building constructed before 1966 listed with a LU6910 (Religious Services) code Approximately 187 tax parcels were identified on an excel sheet prepared by the city To create a usable map plotting these properties, GIS Analysis and Data Services then made a grid overlay of sixteen squares The squares (numbered from A1-4, B1-4, C1-4, and D1-4) have varying numbers of properties, for example the D-2 square covered portions of Commencement Bay and the Port of Tacoma, and had no buildings within the survey parameters Other grids, like C2, overlaid a substantial portion of downtown, which had more than three dozen historic religious buildings due to the development age of this sector The advantage of this system was the ability to clearly break each portion of the city into a unique location with consistent acreage This prevented sites showing up on multiple maps and made certain that every portion of the city was covered The disadvantage of this system is that it is not neighborhood based, with some settlement areas divided in half by random grid lines, making it more challenging to see and track development patterns Each map grid was tracked individually, with several grids surveyed each week The majority of the properties were visited between April 22nd and May 29th, 2009 Return trips to some sites were made at later dates to accommodate a need for additional photography or clarification of building locations and details Volunteer effort made it possible to confirm GIS data with both the Pierce County Tax Assessor Records and the Tacoma Public Library’s On-Line Building Index Cross-referencing between the various databases (and period newspaper accounts located through the library’s data base) helped correct dates and in some cases addresses on the original excel sheet The City of Tacoma’s interest in tracking (when possible) parsonages, religious schools, and other auxiliary buildings common for large religious campuses, led to identifying additional tax parcels for some sites When an institution has multiple buildings on one site, with one mailing address, these are recorded as one entry in DAHP’s database If an institution had different mailing addresses for these buildings, each building was given its own entry, per direction from DAHP This shuffling of buildings, combined with the addition of some sites not listed in the original GIS database has resulted in a final survey number of 150 sites Some buildings were removed from the survey after site visits indicated the structures were not originally built for religious use (some were vintage commercial spaces that have since been converted) A total of 13 buildings were removed under these circumstances In some cases, buildings were added to the database as field research located structures missed in the original GIS excel sheet Five notable buildings constructed post-1965, Grace Lutheran (1968), the sanctuary of Temple Beth El (1968), Christ Episcopal (1969), St Charles Borromeo (1969) and the Salvation Army Church (1969) were included in this survey due to their unique physical presence and/or the significance of their Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places architects Grace Lutheran, Christ Episcopal and St Charles are part of larger church complexes with older buildings This survey was funded and professionally staffed as a reconnaissance level survey However, substantial volunteer coordination allowed for a full search of Tacoma Public Library records, the Pierce County Tax Assessor Records, and a search of photographic records at Special Collections, University of Washington, Seattle and the Washington State Historical Society After site visits were made for each building, volunteers went into the Tacoma Public Library’s Database, and church files (usually newspaper clipping categorized by denomination) and pulled every available newspaper and book reference for each of the 148 properties This labor-intensive process occurred from May through September, and was extensive enough to keep Historic Tacoma’s, fulltime intern, Kelly Smith, at the library almost 30 hours each week Coordination was also made with Historic Tacoma’s Sacred Places initiative, which launched a call for volunteers Several members of historic congregations responded and provided additional information on their buildings Prior Survey Activity Since 1979 the City of Tacoma Historic Preservation Office has conducted a number of reconnaissance level surveys The following neighborhoods have been surveyed, and the majority of them have been entered into the Washington State Historic Property Inventory database Central Business District (1981, updated 2003) North End (1981) North East (1979) Port Industrial Area (1981, updated 2003) Central area (1981) South Tacoma (1981, updated in 2005 and 2006) South End (1981, updated 1997, 2005 and 2006) West End, Ruston and Point Defiance (1981) East Side (1981) 10 North Slope (2003, overlaps CBD and N End Survey areas) 11 Hilltop (1993, updated 2004, overlaps Central and CBD areas) Other areas are currently in the process of being inventoried for potential historic districts Whitman area, with the South End West Slope Neighborhood Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places Wedge Neighborhood (within Central) Files for inventoried and registered properties were obtained from the City of Tacoma Historic Preservation Office and reviewed before site visits were undertaken Of the almost 150 historic houses of worship in Tacoma, only are currently listed as historic properties on either the city, state, or national register Those listed are: St Peter’s Episcopal (1873) City, State, National St Luke’s Episcopal (1883/1937) City First Swedish Baptist (1900) City Immanuel Presbyterian (1908) (contributing building in the North Slope Historic District) Center for Spiritual Living (1909) City Holy Rosary Catholic Church (1920) City First Presbyterian (1924) City First Baptist (Urban Grace) (1923) City (added as a result of this survey) Tacoma Buddhist Church (1930) City Project Outreach This survey was jointly launched with Historic Tacoma’s Sacred Spaces initiative, which included a public lecture, outreach to historic congregations, and culminated with 15 congregations holding an open-house The various components of the project were: May 28, 2009: Tacoma’s Historic Sacred Places: Past, Present, and Future This free lecture was held at Urban Grace Church (former First Baptist) Speakers included Gerry Eysaman, architect, Pastor Dennis Andersen, board member of Partners for Sacred Spaces, and Caroline Swope of Kingstree Studios May-September 2009: Approximately 20 religious congregations were contacted to participate in the October open house of historic sacred places As a part of this outreach Kingstree Studios attended all planning sessions and reported regularly on both the inventory and the opportunity for historic religious structures to be placed on the Tacoma Register of Historic Places Interest in register status was expressed by several congregations, but at the time of this report, only two churches have started the process Urban Grace (former First Baptist) completed the process in late 2009, and was placed on the Tacoma Register of Historic Places Central Lutheran is currently in the process of submitting an application to the Tacoma Register of Historic Places October 25, 2009: Open house and tour of 15 historic houses of worship This event included the following congregations, listed in order of the location map: Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places St Luke’s Episcopal Church NW Baptist Seminary Center for Spiritual Living Christ Episcopal Church Immanuel Presbyterian Church Old St Peter’s Church First Church of Christ Scientist Peace Lutheran Church St Rita’s Catholic Church Urban Grace Church Holy Rosary Catholic Church St Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church St Joseph’s Catholic Church Temple Beth El Synagogue November 24, 2009: Listing of Urban Grace (First Baptist) on the Tacoma Register of Historic Places Historical Outline Tacoma’s churches and temples are an amazing architectural assortment, representing a tremendous outpouring of faith, and resources in our city’s neighborhoods From the petite and vintage St Peter’s in Old Town, to the sprawling modern St Charles Borromeo in the West End, Tacoma’s churches have mirrored neighborhood development, worshiping trends, and architectural styles Many of the larger, established congregations no longer occupy their original sites Expanding land values and growing congregations led to development away from the downtown business district by 1888 One notable exception to this trend was First Baptist (currently Urban Grace), which felt mission driven to minister to the downtown area from its earliest existence A significant number of Tacoma’s original churches have been lost, due to growth in the downtown development core, and congregational growth, which necessitated larger meeting space Often an older, larger church would sell its original building to a new, smaller congregation The current Apostolic Faith Mission building originally housed a synagogue that was vacated after the 1968 construction of Beth El in West Tacoma Ethnic and racial movements are also mirrored in church transfers In 1900 three quarters of all blacks in America lived in the rural south, by 2000 three quarters of blacks lived in urban areas Many of these urban churches were purchased from white congregations whose parishioners had fled to the suburbs First Norwegian Lutheran Church (currently Shiloh Baptist Church) and Central Baptist (currently New Jerusalem Church of God in Christ), both located in the Hill Top neighborhood are two Kennedy, Roger G American Churches Crossroad, New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1982, pg 275 Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places examples of this trend In 1908 the city had 120 houses of worship, with more than 20,000 members.2 While many of Tacoma’s original ethnic congregations have merged and changed forms over the years, their buildings have retained use by a new generation of congregations in the Hill Top neighborhood Building designs were often based on national trends and some religious denominations even circulated pattern books with pre-drawn plans for new congregations to choose from A number of the older congregations grew larger and expanded, following the city’s development into new neighborhoods in North and South Tacoma By 1912 city newspapers proudly gave tremendous photo coverage to the city’s new churches, including St Patrick’s, First Congregational, and Sure House (Swedish Mission).3 Each one of these buildings represented a substantial sharing of resources, both material and spiritual in the city’s neighborhoods The buildings offered not only places for spiritual solstice but, a place for childcare, community meals, space for fairs and outreach organizations, concerts, and social events As the terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad, and a major beer producing city, Tacoma had a number of ethnic immigrant groups, including Slovaks, Polish, Germans, and Italians Many of these groups had their own national churches, where they could worship in their native languages and continue ethnic traditions The building boom continued and the newspaper proudly announced that the “City’s Progress (is) Reflected in Church Construction.” Photos of new churches under construction continued to dominate the newspapers and new congregations kept pace with the city’s expansion Sixth Avenue Baptist and Epworth LeSourd Methodist were built in what was then the West End, Bethany Presbyterian and Mason Methodist in the North End, the Greek Orthodox, First Presbyterian and First Lutheran close to the downtown core A number of our largest and most elaborate churches in the city were built during those years Tacoma followed national trends, and the majority of these structures were Gothic Revival, with their spires reaching up towards the silver sky Others reflected strong regional tastes, like the Center for Spiritual Living (Park Universalist Church) And a few were designed to be truly unique in the city, like Immanuel Presbyterian World War II brought special material and spiritual challenges to religious congregations Youth groups had fewer men active as troops went off to war At the same time, troops on leave from local bases needed places for social activities The rationing of gas and shortage of tires impacted people’s ability to reach their congregations And yet the religious centers thrived, meeting the challenges head-on.5 And during the post-war years, as neighborhoods n.a., n.t Tacoma Daily Tribune, October 16, 1908, n.p n.a “Tacoma A City of Substantial Churches.” Tacoma Daily Ledger, January 9, 1912, pg 4 n.a “New Churches of City Among Best in Northwest.” Tacoma Daily Ledger, September 21, 1924, pg B-4 Macoskey, W O., “Churches Face Task.” Tacoma News Tribune, May 25, 1997, pg A-1 10 Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places short-lived style (1950-1970) typically features repetitive angles, and showcases the texture of wooden concrete forms While Brutalist buildings often appear overwhelming and dictatorial from the outside, many have visually striking contrasts of wood verses concrete and personal verses public space on the inside The use of light and additional furnishings becomes paramount for the Brutalist form to work well in an ecclesiastical setting Excellent examples of Modern religious buildings include: Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 1948 Central Baptist (New Jerusalem Church of God in Christ), 1950 Asbury United Methodist Church, 1953 Zion Lutheran Church, 1954 Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 1955 Central Lutheran Church, 1957 St Anne’s Catholic Church, 1957 Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1960 First Christian Church, 1961 Grace Lutheran Church, 1968 Temple Beth El, 1968 Christ Episcopal Church, 1969 St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 1969 Salvation Army Church, 1969 Central Lutheran showcases clean geometric forms and minimal decoration common in modern styles (Kingstree Studios) APPENDIX B 27 Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places Major Architects Robert Billsbrough Price, architect of Temple Beth El (docomomowewa website) George W Bullard Born in 1855, George W Bullard, was a Springfield, Illinois native who received a degree in architecture from the University of Illinois in 1882 Bullard 28 Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places moved to Tacoma in 1890 and lived here until his death in 1935 He specialized in schoolhouses, churches and public buildings Bullard was an active member of the First Methodist Church and the Washington State Historical Society One of his more publicized works was the second place design for the Washington State Pavilion at the 1893 Columbian World’s Fair Bullard formed a number of partnerships; one of the better known was the 1911 firm of Bullard & Hill, with offices in the Provident Building Notable works: Bryant (1890, demolished), First Methodist Episcopal Church (1892, demolished), Grant School (1900), Provident Building (1903), First Christian Church (1907, demolished), First Congregational Church (1907), YMCA (1909), Washington State Historical Society (1911), Stanley (1925), EpworthLeSourd Methodist (1926), Maddux-Raymond Funeral Home (1927), Japanese Methodist Church (1929), Tacoma Hongwanji Buddhist Church (1930) Bullard Designed Churches: First Congregational Church Epworth-LeSourd Methodist Church Japanese Methodist Church Tacoma Hongwanji Buddhist Church 209 South J 710 South Anderson 1901 Fawcett Avenue 1717 Fawcett Avenue 1907 1926 1929 1930 Frederick Henry Heath Frederick Heath was responsible for a number of significant buildings in Tacoma at the start of the twentieth century, completing more than 600 projects His design work was far reaching and varied from private residences, commercial buildings, and fraternal lodges, to churches, hospitals and school buildings Heath designed in a number of different styles ranging from Gothic Revival to Neo-Classical to simpler structures with few defining architectural details Frederick Henry Heath was born April 15, 1861, in LaCrosse, Wisconsin As a child his family moved to Caledonia, Minnesota After high school Heath moved to Minneapolis and worked for a newspaper Unhappy with his choice of professions, Heath decided to work in the construction industry instead He eventually secured a position with Warren H Hayes, a local architect Heath spent twelve years in Hayes’ employment, ten of which he served as chief draftsman Heath moved to Tacoma in the late 1800s, searching for a climate more suitable for his wife’s health By 1896 he opened his own architectural office and in 1901 he became principal in the firm of Spaulding, Russell & Heath After the departure of Spaulding in 1901, the firm became Russell & Heath, but by 1903 Heath had decided to work on his own again During this time Heath was appointed as architect for the Tacoma School District While Heath worked 29 Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places individually for most of his later career, he did form the short-lived firm of Heath & Twichell from 1908 to 1910 Lither Twichell was a former colleague who had worked with Heath under Warren Hayes in Minneapolis Heath formed partnerships with George Gove from 1902 until the 1920s Heath & Gove hired Tacoma native Herbert Bell to work with them, creating the firm of Heath, Gove & Bell in the mid-1920s Heath continued to work until the time of his death in 1953, at the age of 91 years Heath Designed Churches: St Patrick’s Catholic Church Swedish Mission Tabernacle First Church of Christ, Scientist Trinity Methodist Church Bethany Presbyterian Church First Baptist Church Sixth Avenue Baptist Church First Evangelical Lutheran Church 1123 North J Street 922-24 South I Street 902 Division Avenue 601 East 35th Street 4420 North 41st Street 902 Market Street 2520 Sixth Avenue 524 South I Street 1906 1909 1911 1915 1924 1925 1925 1926 Lea, Pearson & Richards Charles T Pearson was a native of Chicago who moved to Tacoma as a child in 1919 He attended Stadium High and earned a degree in architecture from the University of Washington in 1931 Pearson worked for Heath, Gove and Bell in the early portion of his career Pearson was made an AIA fellow in 1973, and retired from architecture in 1984 He was a member of Holy Cross Catholic Church John Greenway Richards was the founder of one of oldest architectural firms in state From Waltham, Massachusetts originally, Richards moved to Tacoma as a child in 1920 He graduated from Stadium High School and then attended the University of Washington, earning his architectural license in 1932 Like Pearson, Richards then became an associate of Heath, Gove & Bell Charles Winthrop Lea, Jr was born in Tacoma in 1903, but grew up in Seattle He received his education at the University of Washington, University of Pennsylvania, and New York University He worked as a draftsman in various architecture firms in Philadelphia and for the New York firm of Delano & Aldrich before returning to Tacoma in the early 1930s Lea was known for his residential projects and was praised by his peers for his special talent with Colonial details In 1937, Lea formed a partnership with Pearson and Richards that lasted until 1984 The firm specialized in banks, churches and high-end residences 30 Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places Notable works: National Bank of Washington, Chehalis (1949), the National Bank of Washington, Parkland (1950), Tacoma Savings & Loan Association (1956), Central Lutheran Church (1957), Trinity Lutheran Church, Parkland (1958), the Swasey Branch of the Tacoma Public Library (1960), Kilworth Chapel at the University of Puget Sound (1966), the Bank of Washington Plaza, in cooperation with Skidmore Owings Merrill(1970), United Mutual Savings Bank (1973) Lea, Pearson & Richards Designed Churches: Central Lutheran Church 409 Tacoma Avenue North 1957 Lundberg & Mahon Born in 1882, Charles Frederick W Lundberg practiced architecture in Tacoma from 1908 until 1941 when he retired He was a junior partner in the firm of Potter and Lundberg in 1908, with Myron Potter serving as senior partner This partnership lasted for only a year or two He then practiced on his own and in 1913 entered into a partnership with architect C Frank Mahon Born in 1888, Mahon was the grandson of a Pierce County pioneer Details regarding his training and apprenticeship are sparse Mahon began his architectural training as a draftsman for I Jay Knapp in Tacoma in 1908 By 1910, he and Knapp were partners in the firm of Knapp & Mahon In 1912, Mahon began his own architectural practice He was a member of the American Engineers Society and the National Architects Society He also served as president of the Tacoma Architect’s Society in 1914 Both Lundberg and Mahon became registered professional architects under the State of Washington's "grandfather" registration law in 1919 Their firm was unique because it offered architectural design and engineering services Many of the firm's important commissions were associated with the Catholic Church Mahon was a member of Holy Rosary, a church he designed Lundberg and Mahon dissolved their partnership in 1923 In 1926, Lundberg partnered with A Frederick Ekvall Mahon and Lundberg reunited in 1929 and then formed a partnership with Ekvall becoming Lundberg, Mahon, & Ekvall, with offices in Tacoma and Seattle The firm dissolved in 1941 when Lundberg retired Mahon died in Tacoma in 1947 at the age of 59 Lundberg died in 1964 at the age of 82 Notable works: St Joseph’s Slovak Catholic (1912), Washington Theatre (1913), Lynn Funeral Home (1918), Orpheum Theatre (1919), Realart Theater (1919), St Patrick’s School (1919, demolished), Holy Rosary Catholic (1920), Sacred Heart Catholic School (1924), Visitation Catholic Church and School (1912), Holy 31 Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places Rosary Catholic, Seattle (1937) Lundberg & Mahon Designed Churches: Visitation Catholic Church St Joseph’s Slovak Catholic Church Holy Rosary Catholic Church 3318 South 58th Street 602 South 34th Street 520 South 30th Street 1912 1912 1920 McGuire & Muri John E McGuire was born in Methuen, Massachusetts in 1892 and received a B.A in architecture from the University of Oregon in 1917 He worked as a head designer for the Tacoma firm of Sutton, Whitney & Dugan from 19201929, assistant designer and draftsman for Seattle architect John Graham from 1929-1932 and as office manager and head designer for Olympia architect Joseph Wohleb from 1937-1940 McGuire was a well known architect who served as president of the regional AIA chapter during the early 1960s He organized the firm of McGuire and Muri in 1946 Irvin E Muri moved to Tacoma as a child and graduated from Stadium High School before studying architecture at the University of Oregon and later at the University of Washington He joined the firm of Russell and Lance in 1935 It is unknown whether he joined McGuire next or worked with other architects between 1935 and 1946 McGuire & Muri designed a number of church and school buildings in Tacoma McGuire was a member of St Patrick’s Catholic Church, which may have contributed to the firm winning commissions to build Sacred Heart and St Charles Borromeo Catholic Churches Notable works: Lowell Elementary (1950), Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church (1954), Sacred Heart Catholic Church (1955), St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church (1958, auxiliary buildings only, church was designed in 1968 by the firm of Nelsen, Krona and Ziegler), and Birney Elementary (1962) McGuire & Muri Designed Churches: Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church 601 S Puget Sound Ave 1954 Sacred Heart Catholic Church 4510 McKinley Avenue 1955 th St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church (partial) 7112 South 12 Street 1958 Silas E Nelsen Silas E Nelsen, a native of Wisconsin, moved to Washington State in 1900 with his parents He started his career as a naval architect but eventually 32 Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places moved into residential and civic architecture He moved to the Puget Sound as an adult and worked with the architectural firm Heath, Grove, & Bell for four years He started his own practice and designed more than 150 homes, 15 churches, and numerous buildings at the University of Puget Sound His own Colonial Revival house at 405 South Sheridan Avenue was selected as one of the ten most beautiful homes in Tacoma by the Tacoma Society of Architects in 1931 Nelsen’s designs caught the attention of “Better Homes & Gardens,” which showcased a number of his petite Colonial designs in both 1936 and 1937 The periodical also named him one of eight leading residential architects in America In 1961 Nelsen merged with the firm of Krona, Wilson & Ziegler to become Nelsen, Krona, Wilson, & Ziegler In 1964 the firm changed names to Nelsen, Krona, & Ziegler Nelsen retired around 1971 and the firm became Krona, Ziegler & Associates Notable works: In addition to his residential work, Nelsen worked on a number of civic, commercial and religious commissions He designed the original main branch addition of the Tacoma Public Library, Anna Lemon Wheelock Library (1927), Tacoma Mountaineers Building (1956), Johnson Candy Company (1949), Mueller-Harkins Motor Company (1948), and several fraternity houses at the University of Puget Sound Silas Nelsen Designed Churches: St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Bethesda Baptist Church Pentecostal Tabernacle (1st Assembly of God) Central Baptist Church First Evangelical United Brethren Church Central Seventh Day Adventist Church Skyline Christian Church Calvary Baptist Church First Christian Church St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church 1523 Yakima Ave South 4340 South L Street 1121 South Altheimer St 1623 South 11th Street 4501 Sixth Avenue 615 North Sprague Ave 626 North Skyline Drive 6511 South C Street1957 602 North Orchard Street 7712 South 12th Street 1925 1926 1926 1950 1950 1952 1954 1961 1969 Robert Billsbrough Price A Tacoma native, Robert Billsbrough Price attended Stadium High School before beginning his architectural training at the University of Washington His education was interrupted by World War II and after serving in the United States Navy he returned to the University of Washington and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture in 1946 He then earned a Masters of Architecture degree from MIT in 1948 He returned to Tacoma and worked with architect James C Gardiner before opening his own practice in 1949 In 1956, the firm was featured in Progressive Architecture magazine - the youngest firm at that time featured in 33 Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places the magazine Price was one of the most prolific architects in the Tacoma region from the 1950s until the 1970s Price won fifty-nine national, regional and local awards for design excellence His ability to keep project costs manageable while designing flexible building types that could easily accept the additions so common in post-WWII era construction are hallmarks of his work He was one of six architects selected nationally to work with the American Plywood Association and was recognized for his innovate use of engineered wood This collaboration culminated with the award winning design of Hoyt Elementary School (1958) The Tacoma Fire Station Number 17 (1955) and his own architectural office (1963) also won awards He earned a certificate of Merit from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development for the architectural design of two Tacoma housing authority projects in 1967 Other projects were featured in a variety of magazines including Sunset, House and Garden, and Architectural Record He designed a variety of building types, but specialized in educational projects In 1966, became the first architect in Tacoma to be honored by induction into the AIA College of Fellows Notable works: Baker Middle School (1954), Curtis Junior High School in University Place (1957); Hunt Middle School (1957), Hoyt Elementary School (1958), Mount Tahoma High School (1961); Sherman Elementary School (1954); Aberdeen Senior High School (c 1960); Puyallup Jr High School (c 1959); Temple Beth El (1968), Olson Physical Education Building at Pacific Lutheran University (1969) Price Designed Religious Buildings: 5975 S 12th Street Temple Beth El 1968 Paul Thiry Seattle architect Paul Albert Thiry introduced European Modernism to Seattle and the Northwest Born in Nome, Alaska in 1904, Thiry graduated with a degree in architecture from the University of Washington in 1928 Shortly after graduation Thiry worked in the offices of Butler Sturtevant, John Graham and Henry Bittman before opening his own practice in 1929 At the beginning of his career Thiry focused on residential work In the early 1930s he took a yearlong trip to Europe, Japan, India, China, Egypt, and Central America During this trip, he was exposed to the work of European Modernists, and met internationally acclaimed modernist Le Corbusier Thiry partnered with a number of architects to produce large-scale planning, housing and military projects during WWII After the war, Thiry focused on civic, institutional, and religious buildings He was elected as an AIA fellow in 34 Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places 1951 and served as president of the Washington State AIA chapter in 1954 Thiry was also a member of the Executive Committee of the Puget Sound Regional Planning Council from 1954 to 1957, and the City of Seattle’s Planning Commission from 1952 to 1961 In addition to his architectural designs and planning service, He authored Churches and Temples with R Bennet and H Kamphoefe in 1953, a major work addressing modern religious architecture In 1958 Thiry was appointed as the primary planner and architect for the Seattle World’s Fair The Century 21 Exposition Grounds/Seattle Center showcases his ideals of city planning and architectural design He designed the First National Bank Pavilion, the State of Washington Theme Building, the Nalley Theater and Exhibition Building, and the Seattle Center Coliseum Thiry was honored as “Man of the Year” in 1962 by the Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the City Council Likewise, he was elected to the AIA’s College of Fellows that same year He was appointed to the National Capitol Planning Commission by President Kennedy in 1963, and to the Kennedy Library Commission by Jacqueline Kennedy in 1964 Thiry died in 1993 at the age of 89 Notable works: Museum of History and Industry, Seattle (1950), Church of Christ the King, Seattle (1952), North East Branch Library, Seattle (1954) in Seattle (which received a Seattle AIA honor award in 1955), Covenant Chapel, Seattle (1956), the Washington State Library, Olympia (1959), the U.S Embassy Residence in Santiago, Chile (1961), Mercer Island Presbyterian Church (1961), St Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, Seattle (1962), Watzek Library, Lewis and Clark College, Portland (1968), Christ Episcopal Church, Tacoma (1969), Agnes Flanagan Chapel at Lewis and Clark College, Portland (1972) Thiry Designed Churches: Christ Episcopal Church North J Street 1969 Bibliography (Individual congregational bibliographies are listed on the survey forms) 35 Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places American Missionary Baptist Society The Baptist Home Mission Monthly Volume 3, May 1881 American Missionary Baptist Society The Baptist Home Mission Monthly Volume 14, March 1892 Augustana Lutheran Church This is My Church Clinton, Wisconsin: Augustana Book Concern, 1960 Bartlett, Benjamin J First Annual Catalogue of School-House and Church Architecture Chicago: Knight & Leonard, 1875 Christ-Janer, Albert and Mary Mix Foley Modern Church Architecture New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1962 Diocese of Olympia More Than 100 Years of Ministry: The Episcopal Church in Western Washington, n.p., 1998 Eysaman + Company “Self-Guided Walking Tour of Tacoma’s Churches.” City of Tacoma Office of Historic Preservation, 1997 Hammon, Peter, Editor Towards a Church Architecture London: The Architectural Press, 1962 Hayes, Bartlett Tradition Becomes Innovation: Modern Religious Architecture in America New York: The Pilgrim Press, 1983 Heathcote, Edwin and Laura Moffatt Contemporary Church Architecture London: Wiley-Academy, 2007 Hopkins, John Henry Essay on Gothic Architecture Burlington, Vermont: Smith & Harrington, 1836 Howe, Jeffrey Houses of Worship San Diego: Thunder Bay Press, 2003 Kennedy, Roger G American Churches Crossroad, New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1982 Kieckhefer, Richard Theology in Stone Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004 Killen, Patricia O’Connell and Mark Silk, Editors Religion and Public Life in the Pacific Northwest: The None Zone Walnut Creek, California: Altamira Press, 2004 36 Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places Kramer, George W The Twentieth Century Church n.p., 1910 Lynn, Edwin Charles Tired Dragons: Adapting Church Architecture to Changing Needs Boston: Beacon Press, 1972 Macoskey, W O., “Churches Face Task.” Tacoma News Tribune, April 21, 1942, n.p Maynard, Steve “Changing Times, Empty Pews.” Tacoma News Tribune, May 25, 1997, pg A-1 - “A church is reborn.” Tacoma News Tribune, November 26, 2000, pg A-1 - “Development threatens Tacoma’s grand old churches.” Tacoma News Tribune, April 16, 2006 pg A-1 Mills, Edward D The Modern Church New York: Frederick A Praeger, 1959 n.a., n.t Tacoma Daily Tribune, October 16, 1908 n.p (from Tacoma Public Library Church clipping file) n.a “15 Churches Started Here.” Tacoma News Tribune April 21, 1957 pg A6 n.a “New Churches of City Among Best in the Northwest.” Tacoma Daily Ledger, September 21, 1924, pg B-4 n.a “Some Typical Tacoma Churches.” Tacoma Daily Ledger, Commercial Club Edition January 13, 1909, pg 48 n.a “South Tacoma Building and Road Projects Denote Prosperity.” Tacoma News Tribune, May 14, 1926, pg n.a “Tacoma A City of Substantial Churches.” Tacoma Daily Ledger, January 9, 1912, pg 14 n.a “Tacoma is noted for the Beauty of its Churches, Schools, Parks.” Tacoma Daily Ledger, April 9, 1929, pg Nelson, Louis P., Editor American Sanctuary: Understanding Sacred Spaces Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2006 Norman, Edward The House of God London: Thames and Hudson, 1990 Pearson, Arnold and Ester Pearson Early Churches of Washington Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1980 37 Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places Pichard, Joseph Translated by Ellen Callmann Modern Church Architecture New York: Orion Press, 1960 Stanton, Phoebe B The Gothic Revival & American Church Architecture: An Episode in Taste Baltimore: John Hopkins Press, 1968 Taylor, Richard How to Read a Church Mahwah, New Jersey: Hidden Spring Press, 2003 Thiry, Paul, Richard M Bennett and Henry L Kamphoefner Churches & Temples New York: Reinhold Publishing Company, 1953 Warner, Andrew “Churches Open Building Boom.” Tacoma Daily Ledger, April 8, 1925, pg Watkin, William Ward Planning and Building the Modern Church New York: F W Dodge Corporation, 1951 White, James F “Guidelines for Church Architecture.” Your Church July/August 1967, pg 20-27 Architect Bibliographies George W Bullard Files from the Tacoma Public Library, Architect Files n.a “G W Bullard Dies of Accident Injuries.” Tacoma News Tribune May 30, 1935 Frederick Heath Hunt, Herbert Washington West of the Cascades Chicago: S.J Clark Company, 917 Volume III, pg 343-344 Kellogg, Caroline “Time Machine: Frederick Heath, Tacoma’s premier, pioneer architect.” Tacoma News Tribune April 18, 1976 n.p n.a “100 N W Architects Honor Geo Gove.” Tacoma News Tribune April 12, 1949 n.a “Death Calls F H Heath.” Tacoma News Tribune March 3, 1953 pg 38 Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places n.a “Death Claims Noted Architect.” Tacoma News Tribune September 1, 1956 n.p n.a “Frederick H Heath, “Father of Stadium”- a Man Who Thinks.” Tacoma Daily Ledger July 24, 1910 n.p n.a “Frederick Heath.” American Journal of Progress Special Extra Number Describing and Illustrating Tacoma Circa 1905 n.p n.a “Heath & Gove.” Pacific Builder and Engineer September 9, 1911 n.p n.a “Heath & Gove Make Employee a Partner.” Tacoma Daily Ledger June 7, 1914 pg 21 n.a “Pioneer City Architect Dies.” Tacoma News Tribune August 31, 1956 n.p n.a “Tacoma Architect Claimed by Death.” Tacoma News Tribune August 20, 1951 n.p n.a “Tacoma Architect Given Recognition.” Tacoma News Tribune May 15, 1950 n.p n.a “Tacoma Patents Coming into Use.” Tacoma Daily Ledger July 6, 1919 n.p n.a “Tacoman Receives Unit Tile Patent.” Tacoma News Ledger February 11, 1917 n.p Snowden, Clinton History of Washington, the Rise and Progress of an American State New York: The Century History Company, 1911 Volume VI, pg 149-151 Lea, Pearson, & Richards n.a “Charles T Pearson, FAIA.” Tacoma News Tribune August 12, 1994, pg B-1 Docomomo wewa website http://www.docomomo-wewa.org/ n.a “Prominent Tacoma-area Architect John G Richards St dies at age 77.” Tacoma News Tribune April 5, 1985, n.p n.a “Two Tacoma Architectural Firms Cited.” Tacoma News Tribune March 3, 1968, n.p 39 Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places Koyl, George S American Architects Dictionary New York: American Institute of Architects, 1955 Lundberg & Mahon Artifacts Consulting National Register Nomination for C.O Lynn Funeral Home, Tacoma, WA, 2005 n.a “Firm to Open Office.” Tacoma Daily Ledger September 14, 1913, n.p n.a “ Funerals.” Tacoma Daily Ledger October 12, 1947, pg A-2 n.a “New President of Tacoma Architects.” Tacoma Daily Ledger November 15, 1914, n.p n.a “Tacomans Design Seattle Church.” Tacoma Daily Ledger, May 16, 1937, n.p McGuire & Muri Koyl, George S American Architects Dictionary New York: American Institute of Architects, 1955 n.a “Architects Will Reveal Top Designs.” Tacoma News Tribune December, 16 1962, n.p n.a “Irvin E Muri.” Tacoma News Tribune November 6, 1968, n.p n.a “J.E McGuire, Architect, Dies at 76.” Tacoma News Tribune February 29, 1966, n.p n.a “New Armory.” Tacoma News Tribune July 4, 1955, n.p n.a “Tacoma Man Joins Architects’ Firm.” Tacoma News Tribune January 13, 1935 n.p Robert Billsbrough Price Koyl, George S American Architects Dictionary New York: R R Bowker Company, 1962 n.a “Architect Price Had Won Numerous Design Awards.” Tacoma News 40 Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places Tribune September 10, 1981 pg C-12 n.a “Architects Name Tacoma Man ‘Fellow.’” Tacoma News Tribune May 15, 1968 n.a “Robert Billsbrough Price, Well Known Architect Dies.” Tacoma News Tribune September 9, 1981 n.p Unpublished materials from Price’s AIA application file, provided by historian and architect, Jeff Ryan in 2009 Paul Thiry Docomomo wewa website http://www.docomomo-wewa.org/ Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl Shaping Seattle Architecture Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994 41 ... project focuses on religious worship spaces, and in some cases larger complexes with auxiliary buildings used for religious education, fellowship Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places... pre -1965 structure built for religious services in the city of Tacoma To review previous surveys of Tacoma, that have inventoried these buildings previously To provide an outline of Tacoma’s religious. .. 11 Kingstree Studios ❋ 2010 ❋ Tacoma’s Sacred Places property being listed on the tax roles This precludes religious- use structures from receiving any benefits from a historic registry listing