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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2013
Vol. CXXIII, No. 243
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE CITY OF TACOMA Devoted to the Courts, Real Estate, Finance, Industrial Activities, and Publication of Legal Notices
Published Published Since Since 1890 1890
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Hendrickson Homestead A smaller footprint, but still historically significant
Article By Todd Matthews, Editor Images Courtesy City of Tacoma The boundaries of a former Tacoma homestead dating back to the 1920s and recently added to the local register of historic places received some tweaking this week. The 91-year-old former homestead belonged to several generations of one Tacoma family: The Hendricksons. The five-acre property, known as the J. M. Hendrickson Family Homestead and located at 1239 East 54th St., can be traced back to John M. Hendrickson, who was born in Norway in 1888 and immigrated to the United States in 1905, settling in Brooten, Minn., according to a nomination prepared by historic preservation consultant Mark L. McIntire at the request of the property owner, Carol M. Magelssen. A short time later, he was hired as an engineer by Northern Pacific Railroad and arrived in Tacoma, where he met his future wife, Sara Ericson. On June 3, 1921, Hendrickson purchased the property for 10 dollars from Traders Trust Company of Tacoma. Hendrickson built the house, garage, and barn by hand. The couple raised two children — Helen Margaret and Floyd. They also farmed and tended to livestock on the property. "The Hendrickson Homestead has remained within the family since its 1922 construction," wrote McIntire. "The Hendrickson Family Homestead has been a working landscape with garden and livestock for most of its existence (until 1994), which harkens to our immigrant and pioneer past." He went on to describe the property as "a landscape within the landscape, an echo of a still visible immigrant past." The homestead was nominated by Magelssen (Sara and J. M. Hendrickson's granddaughter, and Helen Margaret's daughter). The nomination was first presented to the Landmarks Preservation Commission in April 2011. The commission held a public hearing on the nomination in May 2011. Tacoma City Council adopted a resolution in November 2011 adding the property — which included the house, garage, barn, site, and historic landscaping — to the local historic register. Several people spoke in support of the nomination during the council meeting two years ago to landmark the property.
The nearly-century-old J. M. Hendrickson Family Homestead in Tacoma belonged to several generations of one family that immigrated from Norway in 1888. The five-acre property — which included the house, garage, barn, site, and historic landscaping — was placed on Tacoma's Register of Historic Places two years ago. On Tuesday, Tacoma City Council adopted a resolution that changes the boundaries of the historic landmark from five acres to approximately 1.4 acres, while still including the historic house, garage, and barn. Magelssen thanked McIntire for helping to prepare the nomination. South Tacoma Neighborhood Councilmember Tim Smith said a considerable amount of effort was made to prepare the nomination and put the property on the historic register. "The Landmarks Preservation Commission has considered this to be a historic property through a great deal of work and lots of meetings," added Smith. "When they vote to put it on the register, it should be put on the register. If we recognize that our historic spaces are part of what makes Tacoma great, I think we can leverage that to our advantage." Councilmember Marty Campbell recalled first hearing about the desire to save the homestead when he met Magelssen while campaigning door-to-door several years ago. He described the property as a "tremendous asset" and added, "Thank you, Carol, for your patience. I'm glad to bring this forward and I'm proud to vote for it." Last year, however, Magelssen and Dan Swanberg, Home Team Northwest Construction owner and general manager, approached the landmarks commission with a plan to section off a portion of the property so it could be developed. "After the Historical Designation of the Ma-
gelssen Property, the owner (Carol) has had to deal with some personal, health and financial needs," wrote Swanberg in a letter received at Tacoma City Hall on Sept. 5, 2012. "After much thought, we have concluded the best way to achieve her needs is to short plat her property so she can sell the newly created lots and retain her home and structures as the original parcel." Landmarks commissioners toured the site in October 2012, held a public hearing to change the boundaries in April 2013, and made a formal recommendation in May 2013 to move forward with the boundary change. On Tuesday, Tacoma City Council adopted a resolution that changes the boundaries of the historic property from five acres to nearly 1.4 acres of land. The move preserves the historic house, garage, and barn. It also frees up the remaining property for residential development. "The feeling is that nobody wants to lose a historic listing and if it was possible to compromise and meet the owner's needs as well as preserve a large portion of this property for future generations, that was desirable," Tacoma Historic Preservation Officer Reuben McKnight told councilmembers. "This recommendation considers the needs CONTINUED of the owner, the desire ON PAGE 2 to preserve some open