Arts & Entertainment Community

Day Tripper | Wright Park and Tacoma’s Stadium District

Posted on February 26th, 2025 By: Mary Williams

Oddly, I thought it would be a good idea to visit Wright Park in the dead of winter. It is, after all, close to home so I didn’t have to factor in a whole lot of winter driving or after-dark travel time.

I should not have committed to spending a whole lot of time outside when temperatures were hovering in the 30s and the forecast was for nearly constant rain. But a commitment is a commitment, so on the first pretty day that came along, I donned my heaviest parka and headed back to Tacoma and Wright Park (501 S. I St., about a 20-minute drive from Tacoma).

Wright Park

I have loved Wright Park since the first time I visited some 40 years ago. I really didn’t know much about Tacoma when my oldest child, a student at Goodman Middle School, was assigned the Wright Park tree project. They were to go to the park, collect a variety of leaves, and then identify the tree they came from.

I guess it’s not a big surprise that I can’t remember the exact requirements four decades later. But I do know that over the course of a semester, we made several trips to the park to collect leaves to identify and catalog. I repeated this exercise two more times over the next few years as my other two kids hit middle school.

I grew up in Illinois before moving to Southern California. The thing I missed the most (and truthfully one of very few things I missed at all) about the Midwest was the towering deciduous trees with leaves that turned a vibrant red, gold, and orange in the fall.

In the 1960s in Orange County, the foliage was primarily palms and eucalyptus. Orange groves dotted the landscape, and most homes had a selection of citrus and avocado trees. Slowly but surely the area was taken over by the proverbial concrete jungle. When I discovered Wright Park, it was like finding a little piece of my childhood.

I checked with Goodman. Current science teachers there don’t remember the tree project. Apparently, curriculum changes and the advent of STEM programs rendered it obsolete. While I understand, I found wandering through the park to be a valuable (if nostalgic) exercise. In my humble opinion, nature is best observed hands on, and not on a computer screen.

All about the park

Charles B. Wright (the same Charles Wright that the academy is named after) was president of the Tacoma Land Company and Northern Pacific Railway from 1875 to 1879. In 1886, he and his family donated 20 acres of land to the city of Tacoma to be developed as a public park.

Today, Wright Park is 27 acres of public land — the equivalent of 10 city blocks — featuring wide expanses of lawn, trails, a pond, a playground, a splash pad, basketball courts, a collection of statues, a botanical conservatory and a bowling green. The park’s more than 600 trees represent 145 species, and serve as an arboretum.

It’s no longer necessary for kids to create their own catalogue of trees, because the park district has done it for them. A tree tagging project was completed in the fall of 2015, identifying and labeling about 450 trees. Each tree bears a label that identifies it by its scientific and common names, its geographic origin and the year it was planted in the park.

A sign identifies a red oak at Wright Park Arboretum in Tacoma. Photo by Mary Williams

Originally, the park housed nearly 350 varieties of trees, mostly from North America and Europe. Species from Asia and South America were later added, including Japanese flowering cherries and Japanese dogwoods.

The collection includes several “champion” trees as determined by the American Forest Association. These are the biggest trees of their species measured by trunk girth, height, or crown spread. If you’re interested in learning more about the champion trees, check out the Park District’s web page dedicated to this topic.

Other trees of significance include a red oak planted to commemorate President Theodore Roosevelt’s visit to Tacoma in 1903; a grey birch planted in 1929 honoring Tacoma mothers; and a giant Sequoia planted in 1930 in honor of the 150th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution.

As trees fall or are felled, they are replaced with younger trees, often in an attempt to preserve the original tree plan for the park. Many of the park’s oldest trees are more than 100 years old.

Annie, Fannie, and the cats

Wright Park is home to a collection of statuary. Clinton P. Ferry and S. A. Wheelwright both appealed to the parks board to ensure that the park would include statues.

While traveling in Europe, Ferry purchased nine statues and had them delivered for the new park. Six of the nine survived the trip, including the two maidens that greet visitors at the Division Street entrance (Annie and Fannie), and the two lions that guard the 6th Avenue entrance.

Clinton P. Ferry purchased this lion sculpture in Europe and had it shipped to Wright Park in Tacoma. Photo by Mary Williams

Later, statues and other commemorative pieces were added, including an 1899 statue honoring Narcissa Whitman (one of the first white women to cross the continental divide); a 1900 bronze cannon from Morro Castle in Havana, Cuba; and a bust of playwright Henrik Ibsen, installed in 1913.

Two bronze statues by Larry Anderson were added later — The Leaf, showing an elderly man and a small child holding a leaf, in 1976, and Trilogy, depicting three children running together, installed in 1978.

The Trilogy, a sculpture by Larry Anderson, at Wright Park in Tacoma. Photo by Mary Williams

Wright Park has art installations from some of the area’s most renowned artists, including 2001 and 2008 glass installations by Dale Chihuly and a painted prayer flag installation by Teruko Nimura in 2020.

W.W. Seymour Conservatory

The Conservatory at Wright Park in Tacoma. Photo by Mary Williams

My visits to the park in the ’80s had a very specific focus – leaves, leaves, and more leaves. I don’t remember that we checked out the conservatory at all. That was my mistake. It is an unusual, beautiful, and fascinating place.

The conservatory was built in 1908, using funding provided by Metropolitan Park District Board President William W. Seymour. The conservatory, with its distinctive 12-sided central dome, is listed on the city of Tacoma, Washington state and national historic registers.

The unique 12-sided dome of the conservatory at Wright Park in Tacoma. Photo by Mary Williams

Made of more than 3,500 panes of glass, its style is Victorian. Six sculptures created by former conservator Clarence Deming hide among the plants, reflecting African, Māori, and Aztec traditions.

The permanent plant collection consists of more than 550 plant species. It also contains a rotating exhibit of between 300-500 blooming plants

The dome interior. Photo by Mary Williams

Signs posted all over the conservatory requested that anyone with camera equipment and the intent to use it visit the gift shop and obtain “picture taking rules and guidelines.” Since I’m always looking for any excuse to visit a cool gift shop, I figured I’d better check in and tell them what I was up to. It turns out they are more concerned with professional photographers, distracting photo shoots, and the frequent weddings that use the park and conservatory as their backdrop. Given that no one would ever mistake me for a professional photographer, I didn’t have a problem.

A delicious detour

Visiting the gift shop led to an unexpected stop. As I chatted with the shopkeeper, she suggested I visit and include one of her favorite local destinations. She was adamant that they are unique, have delicious treats, and that as a small locally owned business, they needed our support. I agree.

So, check out Medzo Gelato Bar at 612-B Tacoma Ave. S. Medzo’s website says that the family has been trained by gelato masters in both the United States and Italy. Their menu features 12 rotating flavors that are produced in-house daily using only fresh ingredients.

More Theater District

Since The Grand Cinema is closer to Wright Park than the other theaters in the actual Theater District, I postponed my visit until this trip. If I hadn’t been specifically looking for it, it would have been easy to miss.

The somewhat hard-to-find Grand Cinema in Tacoma. Photo by Mary Williams

The Grand bills itself as Pierce County’s only nonprofit theater for independent, international and local films. Run almost entirely by volunteers, the theater states its mission as being committed to enhancing the cultural vitality of the community through quality film and educational programming.

Located at 606 Fawcett, reviewers give the venue a high rating, describing it as a cute and intimate location. The theater has four screens and shows first-run, independent, and foreign films. Popcorn, beer, and wine are available.

To learn more about the theater, and in particular what will be playing at any given time, check their website.

Tacoma Historical Society

If you expected the Tacoma Historical Society to be housed in one of the huge ornate buildings in the museum district, you’re going to be surprised. They recently relocated to the Tacoma Historical Society Museum, an easily accessible one-story building at 406 Tacoma Ave. S. The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and admission is free.

The museum building houses the organization’s research center and collections, as well as a gift shop featuring Tacoma-related items. The current exhibit is Bustles to Blue Jeans, which explores how fashion and shopping have evolved over the past 120 years in Tacoma.

A fashion-related exhibit at the Tacoma History Museum. Photo by Mary Williams

Check out the museum’s website to learn more.

From the Chamber of Commerce to Commerce Street

It seems that what goes around comes around. We talked last month about how our January daytrip began at the corner of 6^th and Commerce, in front of an art store and just up the hill from McMenamin’s Elk Temple. As we parked, I noticed an intriguing bronze statue. Its presence there on the corner seemed a bit arbitrary.

Fast forward a month to my research on the Tacoma Historical Society Museum. I was surprised to learn that relocating the statue was a past project of the Society. The Goddess of Commerce by sculptor Marilyn Mahoney, dedicated in 2011, is a reinterpretation of one that stood on top of the Chamber of Commerce building after the 1880s.

The Goddess of Commerce statue. Photo by Mary Williams

The Stadium District

The northern border of the park marks the division between Tacoma’s Theater District and the Stadium District. Appropriate since it’s also Division Avenue. Just a couple of blocks from the north side of the park is the fabled Stadium High School.

Stadium High School. Photo by Mary Williams

Stadium opened in 1906 with 878 students and 38 teachers. Today it has approximately 1,700 students and 63 teachers.

It’s a bit easier to understand how a turreted French chateau, also known as the Brown Castle, overlooking the port of Tacoma became a public high school if you know a bit about its history.

In the heyday of railroads, the Northern Pacific Railroad Company and Tacoma Land Company owned the building. The businesses planned it to be a luxury hotel, but its development as a vacation destination was ill-timed. Construction began in 1891, but work was halted in 1893 due to an economic panic and the railroad’s subsequent failure.

To add insult to injury, it was damaged by fire in 1898. The boarded-up building sat vacant for years until the Tacoma School District purchased it. The district identified it as the site for the new Tacoma High School, which opened in 1906. The stadium was built in 1910, and the school was re-named Stadium High in 1913.

It’s doubtful that the school would have the illustrious past that it does had it not been so regal in stature. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Warren Harding visited it. John Philip Sousa’s band performed there, and Babe Ruth played an exhibition game in the stadium.

Even regal old brown castles, particularly those that are invaded by thousands of teenagers every year, deteriorate to the point that they need renovation. The school closed from 2004 to 2006 so that it would be ready in 2006 to celebrate its 100^th birthday in style. The original underground gym was converted to a lunch room, and a new gym and auditorium were built across the street.

Frederick Heath designed both the school and its stadium. The stadium’s original seating capacity was 32,000; it’s about half that today.

The stadium bowl was originally constructed using steam shovels to move more than 180,000 cubic yards of soil down the edges of the gulch to create a flat playing field of 2.5 acres. Wooden molds were built to cast concrete for 31 rows of stadium seating surrounding the field.

The Stadium at Stadium High. Photo by Mary Williams

The stadium is now only a fraction of what it originally was designed to be. The original structure proved to be more than the soil could support. A restoration project in the 1970s had to sacrifice roughly half of the seating capacity because of instability. To add insult to injury, in 1981 a storm drain burst, washing away the scoreboard and the end zone on the bay side of the football field. The need for further restoration caused the stadium to be closed from 1981 until its reopening in 1985.

Tacoma goes to the movies

I moved back to California in 1994 after 15 years here in Gig Harbor. I was blown away by how much I missed this place. It didn’t help that every time I turned on the TV or went to the movies, I was seeing someplace in Western Washington that brought back memories. Sometimes, I was homesick, but more often than not it reminded me of why I love this place. And then it stopped.

Only later did I learn that in the 1990s, Washington state provided tax breaks that encouraged movies and TV shows to film here. Even if the movie wasn’t technically set here, our beautiful scenery provided just the right backdrop.

Unfortunately, when the tax break went away, so did the entertainment industry. Washington Filmworks was created during the 2006 legislative session. Their charter is to encourage economic development focused on the film industry.

Here are a few films that used the Stadium and Theater Districts as a setting:

10 Things I Hate About You: Made in 1999, this film is supposedly in Seattle, but most of it was filmed in Tacoma. Stadium High School is the high school featured in the film, which makes the most of the Stadium Bowl and water view. The interior and exterior of the home at 2715 North Junett St. are also featured.

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle: Made in 1992, the house used in this terrifying movie is at 808 N. Yakima. Many scenes were shot in Wright Park.

I Love You to Death: Made in 1990, this movie features a building – the Bostwick Building at 7^th and Broadway. It is located on Antique Row near Post Alley. Also featured is McMenamins Elk Temple (which in those days was just the Elk Temple) and the Stadium Bowl. The home in this flick is at 424 North C Street. The Java Jive makes a cameo appearance.

Three Fugitives: Made in 1989. Old City Hall plays a role in this film, as do several familiar streets. The prison on McNeil Island is also featured.

Unlike so many places that try to capitalize on their 15 minutes (or maybe 15 days, weeks, or years) of fame, these locations haven’t done that. I did drive by and take a look, and most of them are kind of cool. I suggest you do the same.

Historical houses

You might have noticed by now that I have a thing for old houses, particularly those on either the National or State Historic Registry. Here are a couple that you may want to drive by while you’re out and about. None of these are open to the public, but they’re fun to drive or walk by.

The Hosmer House built in 1875 is the oldest remaining residence in Tacoma at 309 S 9th St.

The Hosmer House at 309 S 9th St. in Tacoma. Photo by Mary Williams

Just up the street in the 900 block of S. 9^th Street is a row home with three units named to honor local African American women, Donnye Adams, Dr. Hellen Stafford and Florence Motley.

The 900 block of S. 9th Street in Tacoma. Photo by Mary Williams

One of the most famous homes in Tacoma is the Rust Mansion at 1001 N. I St.

The William Ross Rust House was built in 1905 for the family of William R. Rust, then president of the Tacoma Smelter. It was built of sandstone locally mined from a quarry in Wilkeson.

The building has a green glazed terra cotta tile roof, 18 rooms, 4 baths, and 8 fireplaces. Built in the neoclassical style, it has marble fireplaces, mahogany staircases, ballrooms and brass fixtures. The original mansion spanned 11,000 square feet and cost $122,000, or 200 times the average home cost in 1905. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

The Rust Mansion at 1001 N. I St. in Tacoma. Photo by Mary Williams

After the death of their oldest son, Mr. and Mrs. Rust built and moved into a second mansion. Built in 1913, it is located at 521 North Yakima Ave. The home is over 11,000 square feet with an oak-covered library, ornate ceilings, stained glass windows, and a large basement ballroom.

In March I think I’m going to try to prove that Tacoma hasn’t got the corner on all the cool old historic houses. By all accounts, we need rain, but that doesn’t mean we need to be Day Tripping in it. I’m seriously considering one of those new-fangled discoveries, the staycation. I’m eager to find places to go and things to see that don’t require crossing a bridge. I hope you’ll join me for a Day Trip in our beautiful hometown.

About the Day Tripper column

Gas prices are sky high, and a night in a hotel is approaching astronomically expensive. So, for the foreseeable future, I imagine many of you are going to find yourselves taking day trips rather than the road trip vacations we’ve grown to love.

This beautiful region in which we live is ripe with opportunities to explore new places, see new things, and learn a little something at the same time. I promise to keep the longest journeys to a one-way distance of under 200 miles. Whether you want to make it an overnight trip, a weekend, or just a very long day trip, we should be able to pull it off.

I hope you’ll grant me the honor of your virtual company as we travel these roads together. Happy trails!