Edyth's Houses Part 1 - 3202 N 33rd Street

From city records, we know the house at 3202 North 33rd Street in Tacoma's north end was built in 1936, the same year that Arthur and Edyth moved in. So it's a reasonable conclusion that Edyth had a hand in it's design and construction. One of these days I may do some digging to learn more about its history, and what, if anything, was on the lot when they bought it. It might very well have just been grass and weeds.

Imagine the two of them standing in that vacant lot looking north over Commencement Bay to Brown's Point and Puget Sound. They're in their late 30's. The boys are approaching adolescence and had lived in rentals all their life. Arthur's parents had both died the previous year (1933) and it's likely that Arthur's share of the estate was a substantial boost to their savings. Should they invest their capital in real estate?  Arthur was probably calculating construction costs and the time it would take to travel each day to the College and back. Edyth, we can assume, was enchanted with the view and already laying out out the rooms in her head.  

The view (approximately) from the north end property Arthur and Edyth purchased in Tacoma around 1935

The boys would have been thrilled. Below their property was a wilderness of trees and brush, and beyond the woods were railroad tracks, a lumber mill and a beach that stretched from downtown Tacoma to Point Defiance, from the Gothic towers of Stadium High School, past the ruins of Old Town, the bustle and rolling logs of the Dickman Mill and the toxic wasteland of the Ruston Smelter. Today it's a parkway and a popular pedestrian trail lined with restaurants and waterfront parks, and the path they would have taken to the beach is now the private access road of a gated community. But in the 1930's it was a boys' paradise.

This is either the Dickman Mill (below their house) or the Ruston Smelter (further north)

Dave, Dick and Walker on the bluff below their house.

We don't have pictures of the house being built, but we do have some of the garden shed under construction. It must have been well built, because it's still there, as is the house.

William Zaytzef (lodger & carpenter) with Dick, Dave and their dog

Dick, Dave and Edyth with their dog.

The building of the garden shed at 3202 N 33rd, Tacoma.

The carpenter is William Basil Zaytzef, a recently-arrived immigrant from Russia who they took in as a lodger after the house was built. There's more to his story, and he'll likely be the subject of a future post.

The house was bigger than anything they'd lived in before -- nearly 3000 square feet on a lot that was a full third of an acre. It had, has, four levels, counting the finished basement and attic, three bathrooms and three bedrooms. Its grandeur must have made them feel a little aristocratic, and in some of these photos you almost expect to see a footman attending to matters in the background.

Lillian and William Grohndorff, Edyth's parents, and Dave.

The boys with their Grohndorff grandparents who were visiting from Wisconsin.

The house at 3202 N 33rd, front.

The house at 3202 N 33rd, rear.

Dave and Dick with one of their dogs. The other dog is in the background, by the garden shed.

Richard on right with an unknown friend. This photo gives a good idea of the view, which has diminished only slightly in recent years from trees and development. 

Today, the house looks pretty much the same. The decorative shutters are gone, a shed dormer has been added to the front of the house, and the rear porch as been expanded. Edyth's garden shed is still there, and the view is just as enchanting.

3202 N 33rd, today (2016)