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    Architectural Flourishes: Tacoma, Washington
    Architectural Flourishes: Tacoma, Washington
    Architectural Flourishes: Tacoma, Washington
    Ebook194 pages9 minutes

    Architectural Flourishes: Tacoma, Washington

    By Marques Vickers

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    About this ebook

    “Architectural Flourishes: Tacoma, Washington” is a pictorial guide illustrates the features that capture the city’s architecture legacy. The distinctive pre-Modernist examples of the late nineteenth through early twentieth century are liberally disbursed throughout the downtown, Old Town, Stadium, Ruston Point and Proctor districts. Over 230 photographs detail unique and distinctive exterior traits, statuary and notable design flourishes.

    Tacoma was incorporated in 1875 following its selection two years earlier as the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The railroad along with the city’s deep-water port enabled significant commercial and industrial development leading up to the twentieth century.

    Affluence and population migration followed with prime examples of the era’s architecture mirroring the development. The most prominent styles include Greek Revival, Richardson Romanesque, Neo-Renaissance, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Italian Renaissance Revival, Classical Revival and Beaux Arts.

    The most distinctive building traits featured during this period were external design flourishes, decorative tile and molded masonry. This detailing often contrasts markedly with the almost sterile geometrical functionality of contemporary constructions. A viewer can easily recognize the artistry and craftsmanship behind these increasingly vanishing touches.

    The Klondike Gold Rush of 1898 contributed towards Seattle eclipsing Tacoma in regional prominence. Seattle completely redesigned and rebuilt its downtown and commercial shipping industry following a devastating fire in 1889. For this reason, pre-Fire architecture is nonexistent within Seattle’s Pioneer Square, but evident within Tacoma.

    Tacoma was briefly considered a major destination for automobile racing and featured the third largest silent motion picture production studio in the world located at Titlow Beach in 1924.

    During the mid to late twentieth century, Tacoma experienced a steady decline in perception and reputation. The Great Depression decimated local industry. In the 1930s, the infamous Aroma of Tacoma tainted breathing. The unsavory acrid odor was produced by local pulp and paper manufactures located in the local tide flats. In November 1940, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge connecting the city with Kitsap County dramatically collapsed into Puget Sound following only four months of operation.

    As misfortune piled upon calamity, Tacoma’s downtown became abandoned and virtually uninhabitable. Crime rates rose significantly and organized gang activity solidified its presence.

    The city’s reputation skidded to the bottom in the late 1980s, yet the decline proved reversible. During the 1990s, a sustained and resilient renovation program began with the recruitment of a University of Washington campus, world-class art museum construction and extensive downtown redevelopment. Rather than constructing characterless glass rectangular structures, the focus became the rejuvenation of existing buildings.

    The interiors were often gutted and reconfigured. Most importantly, the exteriors were freshened and revitalized. This collective coordinated effect by the preservationists opened the downtown into a unique and distinctive portal to the past while still servicing contemporary needs.

    The results have become a re-appreciation towards the aesthetic value of architecture in elevating lifestyle. This edition’s images bear testament to this critical detailing component.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMarques Vickers
    Release dateAug 1, 2020
    ISBN9781005220716
    Architectural Flourishes: Tacoma, Washington
    Author

    Marques Vickers

    Visual Artist, Writer and Photographer Marques Vickers is a California native presently living in the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle, Washington regions. He was born in 1957 and raised in Vallejo, California. He is a 1979 Business Administration graduate from Azusa Pacific University in the Los Angeles area. Following graduation, he became the Public Relations and ultimately Executive Director of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce between 1979-84. He subsequently became the Vice President of Sales for AsTRA Tours and Travel in Westwood between 1984-86. Following a one-year residence in Dijon, France where he studied at the University of Bourgogne, he began Marquis Enterprises in 1987. His company operations have included sports apparel exporting, travel and tour operations, wine brokering, publishing, rare book and collectibles reselling. He has established numerous e-commerce, barter exchange and art websites including MarquesV.com, ArtsInAmerica.com, InsiderSeriesBooks.com, DiscountVintages.com and WineScalper.com. Between 2005-2009, he relocated to the Languedoc region of southern France. He concentrated on his painting and sculptural work while restoring two 19th century stone village residences. His figurative painting, photography and sculptural works have been sold and exhibited internationally since 1986. He re-established his Pacific Coast residence in 2009 and has focused his creative productivity on writing and photography. His published works span a diverse variety of subjects including true crime, international travel, California wines, architecture, history, Southern France, Pacific Coast attractions, fiction, auctions, fine art marketing, poetry, fiction and photojournalism. He has two daughters, Charline and Caroline who presently reside in Europe.

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      Book preview

      Architectural Flourishes - Marques Vickers

      Italianate styling became popular throughout the downtown commercial district along Pacific Avenue. Alexander Jackson Davis as an alternative to Gothic or Greek Revival styles introduced the style into the United States in the 1840s. Victorian designers established imposing brick structures featuring long hooded windows and bulky cornices. The predominance of Italianate structures was confined primarily to the business district.

      Distinctive qualities include flat roofs, frequently sloping downwards to the walls with a gentle slope. Projecting eaves are supported by structural pieces of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry weight as a form of bracket. Other elements include tall first floor windows, tall dome or tower-like structures on tops of buildings and covered exterior galleries and corridors. The style was ultimately superseded in popularity by the late 1870s by Queen Anne

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