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The Pentecost House is one of the homes on this year’s Historic Homes of Tacoma Tour. Photo courtesy of Tacoma Historical Society.

By John Washington

In 1890 Levi and Izora Pentecost engaged architect Arthur L. Smith to design this large Victorian home.  Smith was a well-known architect and the designer of the Gross Brothers department store on Broadway (now the site of the Pantages Theater).  The two-story house cost $4,000, complete with its turret lookout.  Levi Pentecost, born in Indiana in 1845, enlisted in the Union Army in 1861 at age 16.  After the war, he went into various businesses, ending up in banking.  He and Izora came to Tacoma in 1888, where he organized the Citizens’ National Bank.  Citizens’ merged with Pacific National Bank in 1895.  He rose to the presidency in 1911, a year before his death.

The house was updated in 1914 by Izora, who replaced the Victorian woodwork with Craftsman-style woodwork in the entry and living room, added a new front door, and a built-in cabinet and window seat in the dining room.

Izora died in 1919, and the house was purchased in 1921 by Dr. Gustav Wislicenus and his wife Emma, who were emigrants from Germany.  Their daughter, Brunhilde, a graduate of Stadium High School, graduated from the University of Washington in 1935.  She attended the 1936 Olympic Games.  An avid mountain climber, as were here parents, she joined the Tacoma Mountaineers in 1940.  Brunhilde, lived in the house until 2003.

The current owners purchased the house in 2006.  They have undertaken extensive renovation and expansion.  The entry and living room retain much of the 1914 Craftsman update.  The fireplace in the entry has a Prairie-style mantel.  The living room fireplace has an ornate oak surround. The window seat installed above the radiators and the built-in china cabinet also date from 1914.  The stained-glass windows in the entry and the living room are original to the house. The light fixtures in the living room date from circa 1900, when electricity was installed.  Original pocket doors access the dining room, which originally stopped at the beam visible in the ceiling.  The family room beyond the dining room is part of the expansion.  The kitchen was expanded to the rear.  The stained-glass window in the kitchen was originally located in the dining room.  The pantry and bathroom are also part of the expansion.

The two upstairs bedrooms at the front of the house retain their original woodwork and doors.  The semi-circular alcove in the original master bedroom is striking.  The new master bedroom suite is at the rear of the house.  The washbasin in the master bedroom is original to the house, as is the bathtub in the master bath.

Tacoma Historical Society hosts an annual tour of Tacoma’s historical homes and businesses.  Tickets purchased in advance contain a brief history of each home and a map.  Tour dates are May 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and May 6 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.  Tickets are $20.  Call (253) 472-3738 or e-mail hometour@tacomahistory.org.

Contributing Author by — April 30, 2012 in Spotlight
Making people’s lives better by making homes safe

Elano Areno is one busy lady.  She retired in 2007 and heads a small non-profit called Barangay Community Services of Tacoma.  It’s a Filipino American non-profit whose mission it is to reach out to the elderly and newly arrived immigrants in Pierce County.  Barangay was the winner of the 2012 City of Tacoma Destiny Award for community groups and was also awarded a vacant lot to be converted into a community garden.  All those activities meant the group needed a safe meeting place but in order to open up Areno’s place for seniors and others to meet, the house needed to be safe.  However, her home was “homemade” as Areno calls it.  She feared it wouldn’t meet codes but was on a fixed income and couldn’t afford to make the repairs herself.  So she applied for help with Rebuilding Together South Sound (RTSS).

RTSS volunteers work year round on home modification and emergency repairs but their main program is Rebuilding Day which takes place on the last weekend in April.  In 2011, they built ramps, replaced or repaired roofs, modified or replaced porches and stairs and the list goes on and on for 29 homes and one non-profit facility.  For Areno, this is her second time getting assistance from RTSS.  The first time she applied, they came out to check her roofing.  While they were speaking with her they noticed orange extension cords running across her floor and asked her about it.  “My building is old,” she said, “and so half of my building had no electricity.  I used three orange extension cords from one side to the other.  It was okay because I could watch my TV.”

Her electrical box was old and used old-fashioned round glass fuses.  The fuses sparked when she changed them and scared her.  When she looked into getting her electric system repaired, someone gave her an estimate of $5000.  After her assessment, RTSS told her they were sending out a Bates student.  “They did a good job,” she said.  “I feel better because of safety (concerns).”

Then someone noticed that she slept on a couch.  Her upstairs area was used primarily for storage.  Her stairway was too narrow for her to move furniture up the stairs and into a room.  “They cleaned my upstairs and gave me a bedroom.”  The furniture came from IKEA and so could be assembled upstairs.  “They did a spectacular job.  They were pleasant and fun.”

Areno asked for help again because the February storm knocked down her fence.  Her neighbors behind her made her worried and so she didn’t feel safe being in her own yard.  Her gutters need work and the foundation for her home has some issues.  She’s still worried about her roof because her insurance company has sent her a letter about it.  RTSS has said that the roof isn’t in their budget but they’ll repair the fence, clean her gutters, do some yard maintenance and install a range hood so she can cook inside.

“They brighten my home but they also brighten my life,” she said.  “I feel so blessed and appreciate what they’ve done.”

Bonnie Dickson by — April 25, 2012 in Everything Else

It’s spring.  The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming and the grass is growing.  And oh how it grows and grows.  According to the National Gardening Association, 60 million Americans (more than half of us) engage in some form of do-it-yourself gardening or lawn care.  So much so that when faced with a neighbor who doesn’t keep their lawn manicured, we as a nation often think of them as lazy or uncaring.  As part of the Safe, Clean and Attractive effort, the City of Tacoma employees, Rebuilding Together South Sound and other community organizations and individuals want to help residents needing assistance with their outdoor projects to get the training, guidance and even possibly the volunteer assistance necessary through a new program called Tacoma Neighborhood Makeover Week.

Neighborhood Makeover Week offers free workshops, a block party/resource fair and opportunities for residents to volunteer to help with improvement projects during the week of April 22-28.  This year, makeover teams will converge on the Giaudrone Safe Streets area in South Tacoma to complete projects involving weeding, planting, debris removal, edging and other basic improvements.  According to Alicia Lawver of the City of Tacoma, the project is intended to bring neighbors together as well as illustrate the impact that some fairly easy curbside improvements can have on a neighborhood.  The long term hope is to select a different neighborhood each year for the volunteer projects.  To volunteer for a makeover team, go to www.TacomaMakeover Week.org or contact the volunteer coordinator at (253) 382-2780.  Lunch will be provided to the volunteers.

Workshops offerings include classes on rain barrels, residential rain gardens, tree care and pruning.  The classes are free and open to the public.  Visit www.tacomamakeoverweek.org for a listing of available classes, times and locations.  To follow the program on Facebook go to www.facebook.com/TacomaNMW.

Safe, Clean and Attractive is an effort by the City of Tacoma to partner residents and city employees to make Tacoma safer, cleaner and more attractive.  Teams work within existing budgets and harness community resource to make improvements.  For more information, go to www.cityoftacoma.org/safeandclean. Neighborhood makeover Week is a collaborative effort involving City employees, Rebuilding Together South Sound, WSU Extension Master Gardeners, The University of Washington Urban Studies Program’s CIVITAS group, Communities in Schools, Tacoma 360 and other individuals and organizations.

srmedia by — April 11, 2012 in Everything Else
Paint Tacoma-Pierce Beautiful-brightening houses and lives

Below: A team from St. Francis Cabrini plays around after painting one of two homes they tackled last year. Newkirk says they were instrumental in helping to locate eligible candidates in Lakewood.

This summer will mark the 28th season for Paint Tacoma-Pierce Beautiful.  To date, 2,031 homes have been transformed by groups of dedicated volunteers that keep coming back year after year.

Greg Newkirk, Director of Paint Tacoma-Pierce Beautiful (PTPB), is still looking for applicants who qualify for the program.

This year’s program has about 30 applications so far, and Newkirk would like to see about 100 to 150.

“The deadline is April 9, but for Senior Scene readers, we might extend that application deadline,” he said.

Applicants need to be low income as defined by HUD and either 60 and over, or, if under 60 years of age, they need to have an established disability.

The program, said Newkirk, connects homeowners with volunteers and the community resources and helps them maintain their affordable housing.

“Our primary focus is to help low income elderly and low-income disabled stay in their homes,” explained Newkirk.

Newkirk has been involved as a volunteer since 1992.

“I was a team member and then eventually a team lead for the Weyerhaeuser company crew and then I participated on Mason United Methodist crew for many years,” explained Newkirk, who participated in the program for a number of years before coming on board full time with the Associated Ministries program last year.

“It was a leap of faith,” he said.  “A huge change for me and when the job opened up I said let me go for it.”

Newkirk said they are also going to enhance their yard cleanup activities, specifically in the Lakewood and Tacoma areas and explained that this is a new piece for PTPB.

“This is another opportunity to serve and we’re interested in hearing from organizations that would like to be a part of that,” he said.

PTPB relies on donations from a number of generous organizations. The PTPB group provides all the materials that stay with the home, such as paint thinner, paint, caulking, primer and minor repair materials, and the crews provide everything else, such as the ladders and the labor.

PTPB receives funding from the City of Tacoma, City of Lakewood, Pierce County and also a number of private donations and foundations such as State Farm Insurance, Sequoia Foundation and Grey Lumber, just to mention a few.

Parker Paint has been a long time supporter, said Newkirk. “They give us a significant discount on paint and do amazing work with us every year.”

Newkirk said that so may of the homeowners just need a little help. ‘When you meet them in person, especially during and after, it lifts their spirits and you see the joy and they know that people really do care,” he said.

Volunteers also get a lift from their work with the program, especially those that bring their children along to help.

Volunteers must be eight years and older and children are overseen by adults to be sure quality and safety are maintained.

Anyone who is interested in applying for the program, or volunteering can call Newkirk at (253) 426-1505 or go to paintbeautiful.org on line to download the application.

Joan Cronk by — March 21, 2012 in Spotlight