TACOMA — When pioneer Job Carr sailed by the cozy little bluff west of present-day Tacoma in search of the best terminus for the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1864, he cried, "Eureka! Eureka!" He'd found it.
Today, the tiny area that captivated Carr is known as Tacoma's Old Town, and visitors looking for the city's charming side may share his reaction.
Just a block inland from a scenic stretch along Commencement Bay is Old Town's main thoroughfare, North 30th Street. It is lined with ornamental streetlights and turn-of-the-century buildings converted into offices, with a smattering of shops and cafes.
Sitting snugly in a small park on North 30th Street below hills lined with beautiful homes is the strip's showpiece, the two-year-old Job Carr Cabin Museum, a replica of the wooden home Carr built after yelling his famous words.
The original cedar-log cabin, which also served as Tacoma's first post office, long ago was moved west to Point Defiance Park, where it sat dilapidated before finally being dismantled.
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The Job Carr Cabin Museum is named after one of Tacoma's first settlers and is a replica of his home.
(JIMI LOTT / THE SEATTLE TIMES) |
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Carr, a Civil War veteran who trekked to Puget Sound from Iowa, went on to become Tacoma's first mayor and the patriarch of generations of Carr relatives who still live in the area. The museum uses family diaries and period interiors to trace Carr family history as it relates to Tacoma's early days as a white settlement built around fishing, logging and rail transport.
Museum director Janda Volkmer, and Carr's great-great-grandson, Melvin Carr of University Place, showed me old photos of the district when it was the city center. One image shows a public school building, which also housed — in a twisted display of mixed-use development — a tavern.
A village feel
Currently, two neighborhood watering holes vie for attention, far from any scholastic pursuits: the ever-popular Spar Tavern, 2121 N. 30th St., whose creaky floors create an authentic atmosphere for the preppy-looking professionals who frequent the place; and Cafe Divino, a swanky wine bar and eatery across the street at 2112 N. 30th.
With its elegant old store fronts, North 30th Street wouldn't be out of place in Seattle's Fremont or Queen Anne.
And that's just the village feel that boosters such as neighborhood resident and Old Town Business and Professional Association member Karen Poole want the area to project. Poole, who used to book conventions and meetings for the city, has big dreams for her tiny district.
But she is far from alone in trying to upgrade Tacoma's standing as a destination city. A new convention center, art museum, glass museum and separate buildings dedicated to motorcycles and classic cars are all part of an ambitious plan to remake the city center.
"A few years ago, you'd have to be creative to sell Tacoma, because we didn't have much to show," Poole said.
For Old Town, Poole hopes to see more specialty retail shops on the strip, to help draw residents as well as visitors.
"And I'd love to see a bed-and-breakfast in Old Town," mused Poole, who along with business partner Phillis Olson started brainstorming ideas to showcase the district's history six years ago. They helped raise $500,000 to complete the Job Carr museum.
More recently, a new $15 million Silver Cloud Inn has opened on a nearby pier with public footpaths built over the water, connecting it to miles of grassy areas and jogging lanes along the bay. The hotel became the only lodging on Tacoma's waterfront when it opened this month.
Historic structures
Back up in Old Town, Poole showed me some of the district's historic buildings, including the still-active Slavonian Hall, where immigrants from Slavic countries once gathered upon arriving in Tacoma.
St. Peter's Church, the city's first, is a quaint white structure that parishioners built in just seven days in 1873. The visually arresting, ivy-cloaked bell tower at 2910 N. Starr St. is by itself worth a visit to Old Town.
One building close to Poole's heart is the old Stambuck and Co. building, where she and Olson used to run a clothing and home-décor shop.
The new owners, two sisters and a brother who grew up in Hong Kong, gave the space a decidedly international flair.
Customers at the sweetly scented boutique, now called Barker Road Collection (2225 N. 30th St.), will probably be greeted by head buyer Linda McElroy, one of the sisters, who regales visitors with family stories about travels to far-flung destinations like Cambodia, Turkey, Egypt and Hawaii.
Every item in the store, McElroy told me, was chosen personally by one of the siblings during one of their trips. There's scampi sauce from Hawaii, rum cakes from the Cayman Islands and silver jewelry from Southeast Asia.
It was the only time during my visit to Old Town Tacoma that I wished I were somewhere else.
IF YOU GO
Old Town Tacoma is a small neighborhood easily covered on foot in an afternoon, or explored as a break from biking on the waterfront path along North Ruston Way.
From Interstate 5, take I-705 into Tacoma. The freeway ends at Schuster Parkway, which comes to a fork. Bear right on Ruston. Old town can be reached by turning left onto North McCarver Street.
• The Job Carr Cabin Museum, 2305 N. 30th Street, Tacoma, is open Wednesday through Saturday, 1-4 p.m. For more information, call 253-627-5405.
• When in Old Town, be sure to look down. Commemorative plaques embedded in the sidewalks along North 30th Street describe the achievements of notable Tacoma women, including tug-boat company founder Thea Foss, who happened to be afraid of the water.
The museum has a walking-tour map with the addresses of sites as well as mini-profiles of all the women who have sidewalk markers.
• Old Town will host the first-ever Job Carr Days community festival and ice-cream social, complete with pioneer-themed activities, on Sept. 21. Old Town is the site of an annual July 4 fireworks show, as well as a community blues festival in mid-July.
More information: See www.oldtownbusinessdistrict.com to learn more about the area, attractions and upcoming events.
For links to pages spotlighting Tacoma's other neighborhood business districts, including listings for B&Bs, restaurants and visitor attractions, see www.cityoftacoma.org.
Lodging: Silver Cloud Inn, 2317 N. Ruston Way, has view rooms for $99 to $149 through April. 866-820-8448 or www.scinns.com/tacoma.htm.
Copyright © The Seattle Times Company
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