About The North Slope Historic District

The North Slope Historic District is a trapezoidal-shaped district bounded by North I Street to the north, Division Avenue to the east, and N Steele Street to the west. North Grant Avenue caps off the south end of the district. The North Slope has 1,285 resources and is one of the state’s largest historic districts.

The District was settled primarily as a residential neighborhood and contains a wide variety of architectural styles including Stick Style, Queen Anne, American Foursquare, Craftsman, Tudor Revival, and Mission Revival. Within it you will find many churches, apartments, and a few business/commercial areas. 

The neighborhood developed over time and it is common to find structures built as early as 1900 standing beside structures built 20, 30 and 50 years later. There were three building booms within the district: 1888 to 1893, 1902 to 1915, and 1919 to 1929. Nearly 80 percent of the homes were built prior to 1930.

Tacoma’s North Slope Historic District is a cohesive neighborhood that represents the social and economic history of Tacoma. The district represents a cross culture of individuals, both famous and ordinary, whose skills and talents contributed to the development and growth of the city. The early residents included professionals, business proprietors, railroad employees, independent trade people, and celebrities, all living in a close-knit neighborhood.

The district embodies the distinctive characteristics of residential development in Tacoma. Many of these dwellings represent the work of a master craftsmen and architects. The period of significance for the district runs from 1881 to 1955. In 1955 the City of Tacoma changed zoning laws that allowed some of the neighborhood’s older homes to be demolished and replaced by apartment buildings.  

The North Slope Historic District is listed on the Tacoma Register of Historic Places, Washington State Heritage Register, and the National Register of Historic Places. 

The North Slope Historic District,

Part of The National Historic Register

By Roger Johnson

Everyone should thank his lucky stars because Jay and Julie Turner live in the North Slope Historic District! Thanks to them we now live in a nationally recognized historic district!

Jay and Julie were the spark plugs, the fuel and the drivers of the machine that created and submitted the nomination forms to the Washington State Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. The state office added our neighborhood to the Washington Heritage Register and recommended the NSHD to the federal government to be added to the National Historic Register in February 2003!

The whole process began over 10 years ago with the idea of a historic designation to help preserve our neighborhood. Some fine old homes had been torn down and replaced with ugly apartments. They add nothing to the neighborhood; in fact, they lower the property values and serve as a cancer on the neighborhood. For a while, the cancer made us all suffer with an increase in crime and drug activity. We have battled the sickness, and one of the cures is Historic Preservation which fosters pride!

In 1994, Julie seized upon the historic preservation "cure" and ran with it. The North Slope Historic District was officially created with the passage of a Tacoma city ordinance. Jay took up the mantle of Historic Preservation, the preservation for our neighborhood's quality of place and life. He never let up until the Federal Government declared our neighborhood a National Historic District!

On May 6, 2004, the State Of Washington Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation awarded Jay and Julie Turner a Special Achievement Award to recognize their efforts.  Congratulations to the Turners!