This past Sunday Historic Tacoma, a private non-profit organization, dedicated to Tacoma’s architectural legacy through education and advocacy, hosted a tour entitled “Sacred Spaces” of Tacoma’s churches and temples. These architectural melange represents a colossal torrent of faith and resources within our neighborhoods.
St. Luke’s Memorial Episcopal Church, modeled after an English country church, was my first stop, where I learned that due to increasing land values and growing congregations, many churches were forced to develop in the outskirts of downtown, or even move their original church site to a new location, which is what St. Luke’s did. Originally built on 602 Broadway with funds from Charles Wright, our Northern Pacific Railroad magnate, the church was under utilized and underfunded in the 1920s, and by 1934 destruction plans were underway to use the site for new homes. The potential demolition of St. Luke’s vitalized Tacomans to accomplish the city’s first preservation effort to save St. Luke. Each stone was carefully marked, then moved, one block at a time, to North Grove Street, surrounded by tranquil houses and a quiet neighborhood. A Portland Oregon Architect, Joseph Sherwin, was responsible for the church’s design, as well as our first Pierce County Courthouse and the original Central School.
At the door Chris Van Vechten and I were greeted and directed to the transept where two teenagers greeted us and described the traditional Gothic style and history of St. Luke’s. Most Gothic churches are in the cruciform plan, a Latin cross, with a long nave marking the long slender body (the aisle with seats on either side) and a transverse arm called the transept and beyond that, an extension that houses the altar and choir. In St. Luke’s, the nave houses beautiful clerestory windows, stained glass depicting different aspects of Christ’s life.
Secretly, I have always wanted to gong a church bell — to swing like Tarzan and make the Old Lady’s head turn with distaste at my frantic upswing. St. Luke’s provided me with a chance to half-way meet the mark, and while nobody was looking, I quietly pulled a rope and a loud sound erupted from the bell, lighting Van Vechten’s wild eyes up. I was unceremoniously and loudly shushed by him and the Elder below, due to the choir solemnly singing their liturgies. Gleefully I turned away, and as I slowly climbed down the stairs I looked longingly at that bell tower.
Our next stop was Northwest Baptist Seminary which was originally the home of John and Anna Weyerhaeuser, built in 1923 in the Tudor revival estate design. The seminary has spectacular views of Brown’s Point, Vashon Island, the Olympic Peninsula, Mount Rainier, and even SeaTac’s control tower. After the Weyerhaeuser’s death, the Dominican sisters of Marymount acquired the buildings and turned it into a Catholic junior College for women. Of course, reading the Seminary’s “history” section of their website says nothing about the building history, but rather why they moved from Southern California to Tacoma: “Northwest Baptist Seminary was established at a time when modernism had overtaken many Baptist theological schools where pastors were trained. Bible-believing Baptists were protesting, but as long as they were dependent upon institutions whose faculty members did not believe the Word of God to produce their pastoral leadership, the spiritual darkness would only get worse.”
While I do not know the in’s and out’s of Christians pulling the wool over other Christians like common heathens do, I do know the Tudor house is astoundingly beautiful. Secret doors, in plain sight, are disguised by blending in with the panel wooden walls. Heavy chimneys and decorative timbering gives this mini-mansion a Medieval flavor. The name Tudor suggests it was built in the 1500s during the Tudor Dynasty in England, but of course this Weyerhaeuser re-invention was not, but rather features beautifully patterned brick and is combined with striking decorative timbers.
My next stop was First Church of Christ, Scientist on Division Avenue. Knowing nothing of their faith but thinking they must indeed be uniquely crazy, I was enthralled with every aspect of the structure, the people, and their ideas. After listening in on a mini-history of the place, I picked up a free copy of “The Christian Science Journal” which loudly booms “100th Anniversary of The Christian Science Monitor” on its front cover. The Church of Christ, Scientist headquarter website says that a Mary Baker Eddy first “discovered” Christian Science, and that they are a “universal, practical system of spiritual, prayer-based Christian healing, available and accessible to everyone.”
The land on which the current edifice stands was donated by Hugh Ferguson, who gave it in gratitude for the healing of his wife by the Christian Scientists. In 1911 the current church was built at a cost of $45,000. The Christian Scientists have a fascinating history of constructing interesting and revolutionary ecclesiastical designs, built to engage and entice people inside. The cream-colored building was built on a pyramidal plot, which forced the design to be built in the Greek Revival style, declared “one of Tacoma’s finest showplaces.” The cream-colored building with its ionic capitals atop fluted pillars at the entrance and blue-green copper dome is a well-known Tacoma landmark, and owes its design to Frederick Heath, one of Tacoma’s most prominent architects.
Heath was appointed to the position of school architect in 1902 and is responsible for redesigning the luxurious hotel that was burned to the ground in 1898, which was then turned into Stadium High School in 1906. He is the “Father of the Stadium” as he also designed the bowl next to the high school. His architectural firm was responsible for over 600 projects in the Northwest and in Tacoma, and include sites such as St. Patrick’s, First Lutheran, First Baptist, and of course First Church of Christian Scientist.
My last stop was at Urban Grace (originally First Baptist Church), 902 Market Street, also designed by Frederick Heath and finished around 1923. While my favorite structure was St. Luke’s Episcopal, my favorite person was Sugar Ray, who was my tour guide at Urban Grace. Ray, a member since the early inception of the church, showed me his cradle roll picture of 1925’s class. A cute baby and now a fun young-in-heart man, he guided me by my elbow around the three stories of Urban Grace’s past history and current future, recalling the time his young son blurted out a funny prayer in one room, and his father conducting Elder meetings in another, and the story of the church splintering into factions, with one group tromping off to Fircrest to start their own Baptist branch. The church’s Financiers thought it wouldn’t last long in downtown Tacoma, so as part of the loan deal, the church was required to be built for a backup plan: a theatre. Born in the same era as the Rialto and Pantages theatres just down the street, Urban Grace has an auditorium that seats 1,250 and a banquet hall with a stage. The seating in the sanctuary has Opera chairs rather than pews, and a double layer-seating for better viewing. The subdued Gothic Revival-styled structure has glazed terracotta facing over the typical Gothic Revival cut stone on the outside.
Urban Grace serves not only as a church, but as a building dedicated to nonprofit work. I met a young woman who was a graduate of the Palmer Scholarship fund, which helps send low-income minority students to school and also provide mentorships and counseling where needed. I also met a representative of MLK Ballet, also housed in Urban Grace’s facility, which is a tuition-free dance program committed to quality education, dance facilities, and professional instructors.
As Historic Tacoma points out, Tacoma’s religious buildings represent a substantial investment by the community and for the community. The $550,000 spent to build First Presbyterian in 1924 would be more than 83 million dollars in 2009’s currency. These churches are a significant landmark of the past. While many, such as the 6th Avenue Baptist Church, are closing doors and shutting down, many still continue strong and have learned to cope with our culture’s current contempt of religion, such as Urban Grace’s partnerships with multiple nonprofits that work well with Urban Grace’s mission. since 1968 protestant memberships have declined by 22% and yet the same needs for food, clothing banks, pre-schools, daycare, and meeting spaces have continued into our time, with churches learning to take whatever they can get to work within their communities.
Touring four of Tacoma’s churches gave me a sense of pride in the place I call home, and a deeper sense of the people who live here. At St. Luke’s I viewed the crypt, filled with the ashes of previous church members, and wondered at their histories, tied indefinitely with the church’s stones, pews, and potluck halls. Pat Harrington, a local fictional author, explained the significance of the crypt’s dove carving, and I couldn’t help but ponder the people of Tacoma, both dead and alive.
I suppose that was the point of the tour — to appreciate the past and to grasp the significance of the people through the work they left behind.
Joining Historic Tacoma is currently on my to-do list. Memberships are $30, and I am positive it will be worth every cent spent.
Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/1784586023/
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