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THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2014
Vol. CXXIII, No. 113
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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J. M. Hendrickson Homestead Landmark property pulled from Tacoma's historic register
Article By Todd Matthews, Editor Images Courtesy City of Tacoma A 93-year-old former homestead added to Tacoma's Register of Historic Places three years ago is no longer a local landmark. On Tuesday, Tacoma City Council approved a resolution granting the owner of the J. M. Hendrickson Family Homestead to rescind the special designation, allowing the property to be developed in an effort to address financial and medical hardships. The property, located at 1239 E. 54th St., belonged to several generations of one Tacoma family — the Hendricksons — and 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 the original nomination prepared three years ago by an historic preservation consultant at the request of the property owner. A short time later, Hendrickson 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. He built a house, garage, and barn by hand. The couple raised two children, and also farmed and tended to livestock on the property. The homestead was nominated by 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 property — which includes an historic house, garage, and barn — was placed on Tacoma's Register of Historic Places three years ago. On Tuesday, Tacoma City Council granted the property owner's request to rescind the special designation, allowing a portion of it to be developed in an effort to address financial and medical hardships. owner, Carol M. Magelssen (Sara and J. M. Hendrickson's granddaughter), in early-2011. Tacoma City Council adopted a resolution in November 2011 adding the property — which included an historic house, garage, and barn — to the local historic register. One year later, however, the property owner and a developer approached the landmarks commission with a plan to shrink the landmark's boundaries so part of the property could be sold and developed. 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. Tacoma City Council approved a resolution that changed the boundaries
DTE clothing retailer opens Friday on UW Tacoma campus Posted online Weds., June 11 A new clothing retailer will officially open its doors on the University of Washington Tacoma campus Friday. Do The Extraordinary, or "DTE," a partnership between Justin Kercher and former Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander, will offer handmade, locally crafted wood rings, urban sportswear, and one-of-a-kind accessories. Previously existing exclusively online, the brand has reached customers via Etsy and the DTE Web site. With help from Spaceworks Tacoma — a joint initiative of the City of Tacoma and the Tacoma-
Pierce County Chamber — University of Washington Tacoma agreed to provide retail space at 1936 Pacific Ave. for DTE. The location will serve both as a store and a workshop, where rings and other garments will be crafted onsite. "Our goal with DTE is to grow a lifestyle brand focused on quality over quantity, longevity over novelty," said Kercher. "We are inspired by the extraordinary people around us." DTE will host a grand opening party featuring a runway show and live music on Fri., June 13, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and available online at dotheextraordinary.com.
of the historic property from five acres to nearly 1.4 acres. The move preserved the historic house, garage, and barn while also freeing up the remaining property for residential development. The issue was back before the commission earlier this year because the new boundaries "didn't meet the needs of prospective buyers and the requirements for platting the property," according to a report prepared by City of Tacoma staff. The landmarks commission reviewed the issue, held a public hearing, and eventually recommended removing the landmark designation based in part on the determination that "if most of the remaining vacant land was developed as proposed, most of the historic significance of the property as an agricultural property would be lost even if the historic house, garage, and barn were preserved," according to a City staff report. "The property owner wishes to remove the designation of her property, to allow for partial redevelopment, in order to alleviate financial issues caused by declining health," City of Tacoma Historic Preservation Officer Reuben McKnight told councilmembers Tuesday. A prospective developer will allow Magelssen to remain in her house after the property is re-platted, according to McKnight. Neither the property owner or the prospective developer testified during the council meeting this week. "It's a big deal to remove a property from the historic register," said Tacoma City Councilmember Ryan Mello on Tuesday before voting to rescind the landmark designation. "I checked in with a few commissioners on the historic preservation commission after I got my packet and saw this was on the agenda, and indeed confirmed that they didn't take the position lightly. They did all their due diligence, held a public meeting, and did all their deliberation — and came to a unanimous conclusion. "Be that as it may, I wanted to state for the record that this is not something that comes across our desks often," he added. "It's a very serious issue to remove a property from the register because we put a lot of effort into designating these properties for their value to our culture and our heritage and our history."