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TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2015
Vol. CXXIV, No. 129
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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Mead House
A Proctor area residence salvages Tacoma history Article By Todd Matthews, Editor Photos Courtesy Susan Johnson / Artifacts Consulting A single-family home dating back more than 100 years and located near Tacoma's Proctor District has been nominated to the City of Tacoma's Register of Historic Places. The Mead House—located at 2702 N. Puget Sound Ave.—was built in 1903 and originally owned by Ferdinand and Laura Mead, who lived at the residence between 1903 and 1920. It changed owners one more time before Bill and Paula Keyser, a working-class couple (Bill was a Tacoma firefighter), purchased the home in 1956 and lived there for more than 40 years. The landmark nomination was made based upon the one-and-a-half-story, 1,700-square-foot home's architectural significance as a "fine example of the Colonial Revival - Bungalow style of architecture." Yet, equally as interesting as the home's long history and architectural pedigree is the amount of salvaged and historically significant material that comprise the 112-year-old residence. "Apart from the architectural significance, the Mead House showcases a locally significant collection of architectural salvage pieces incorporated into the house and yard," wrote architectural historian Susan Johnson of Tacoma-based Artifacts Consulting in the landmark nomination she prepared on behalf of the current property owner, Lari Ryan. "These pieces have intrinsic value and are important to the house and its history, but they are not part of the eligibility consideration." What kind of Tacoma relics—or 'Keyser Treasures,' as Johnson refers to them—can you find in the Mead House? A brick wall bordering a backyard garden includes terra cotta tiles and a figurehead of a helmeted firefighter—known as the 'Head of Mercury'—that were salvaged from the former Fire Station No. 6 in downtown Tacoma. The fire station—once located in what is today Fireman's Park—was built in 1890 and demolished in 1974. A 1949 photograph archived at Tacoma Public Library's Northwest Room shows former Tacoma Fire Chief Charles Eisenbacher posing next to the figure, which was salvaged following an earthquake that year. The Mead House also includes wrought iron fencing and ornate wood salvaged from the former Brooklyn Hotel, which was built in 1888 and later demolished. Similarly, elevator grilles were salvaged from the for-
TOP: The 112-year-old Mead House has been nominated to the City of Tacoma's Register of Historic Places. Perhaps equally as interesting as the home's long history and architectural pedigree is the amount of salvaged and historically significant material that comprise the century-old residence. ABOVE RIGHT: A bay window in the dining room was salvaged from the circa-1889 Hewitt House RIGHT: A leaded glass window was salvaged from the circa-1890 Perkins House. ABOVE: A brick wall bordering a backyard garden includes terra cotta tiles and a figurehead of a helmeted firefighter (known as the 'Head of Mercury') that were salvaged from the former Fire Station No. 6 in downtown Tacoma, which was built in 1890. mer Bonneville Hotel. A bay window in the dining room—as well as two fire places located in the house— CONTINUED were salvaged from a mansion ON PAGE 2
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