The Context: South Tacoma

SOUTH TACOMA NEIGHBORHOOD 

Beginning in the 1890’s, the South Tacoma Neighborhood has been built around transportation and a strong working-class neighborhood. The first major development in the area was ushered in by the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1890, when it re-located its train maintenance shop to S. 56th Street from downtown Tacoma. At its busiest, the shop was the headquarters for repairing railcars west of the Mississippi and employed around 1,000 Tacomans. The surrounding area, which had been primarily dairy farms and open prairie, quickly developed into a thriving business district and residential area. Most of the houses in the neighborhood were built between 1919 and the late 1920’s for railroad employees and their families who, at one time, occupied 4 out of 5 homes. 

A second transportation-led building boom came during the era of the automobile, when South Tacoma Way was part of Federal Highway 99 (the main north-south highway on the West Coast). The area experienced substantial growth during this time and became a hub for the automobile industry. Today, it is still home to many car-centered businesses, and is regionally known for its auto row and specialty automotive shops. 

Over the past several decades, South Tacoma has changed in many ways, with the construction of the Tacoma Mall and replacement of Federal Highway 99 with Interstate 5 in the 1960s, and the closing of the railroad maintenance shops in 1974. However, transportation and a working-class residential area are still the core of the neighborhood. Recent investments in the Sounder Train (Sound Transit’s regional commuter train), and the redevelopment of the Water Flume Line Trail are creating an area that is, once again, experiencing a transit-led boom. Today, the neighborhood is experiencing a renaissance, ushered in by local business and land owners, and infrastructure investments in the area. South Tacoma is one of the city’s most intact historic commercial business districts, with a healthy mix of regional and national chains and a strong tradition of small businesses, including a handful of 3rd and 4th generation family-owned shops.