Washington State Historical Society, Stadium-Seminary Historic District - Tacoma, WA
Posted by: 
Hikenutty
N 47° 16.052 W 122° 27.016
10T E 541585 N 5235042
The State Hisorical Society's building was built for $25,000 in 1909. It is designed in the classical style and is one of three non-residential contributors to the district.
Waymark Code: WM3AER
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 03/05/2008
Views: 10
The Washington State Historical Society was founded in 1891 and in 1903 was designated a trustee agency of the state government. Twenty-five thousand dollars was appropriated in 1909 for the society to build a home for the organization.
They built this structure adjacent to the castle-like Stadium High School, next to the Stadium Bowl and perched high atop the Commencement Bay Bluffs, looking out over Puget Sound. The original building was just the portion that looks like a classical temple, and much later in 1973 an additional wing was added to create the structure that we see today.
I believe that the Society operates out of the Washington State History Museum building now, which was opened in 1996 and is located at 1911 Pacific Avenue. This building houses the Hewitt Research Library and other resources. It is still owned by the Historical Society.