625 N Steele St, Tacoma
Listed $525,000/Sold $550,000
3 Beds
1.75 Baths
1,232 Sq Ft
3,750 Sq Ft Lot
A covered porch under a gable roof, lilacs and lavender, a sense that all is well; this house beckons you from the curb. You know that feeling—the bees will find the pollen, the sun will rise and set, white curtains will billow in the afternoon breeze, and the coffee will never run out. That’s the feeling. That’s the story this house tells in its quiet way as you stand on the sidewalk. The thing is, this time, I think the story might be true.
Whether you move straight from the paved front walk into the tiled entry without pause, or whether you linger by the huckleberries, sit a minute in the shade of the lilac on the covered front porch, and smile at the soft yellow of the exterior (can a house this color be unfriendly?), you’ll soon sense the work and care given to this home.
Inside there’s that powerful blend of freshly updated and comfortingly traditional such as the ductless heating and cooling system alongside the cozy gas stove. Or the open staircase, tray ceilings, and crown molding framing the new floors and fresh paint throughout the living space. Once you start exploring, you’ll find fully renovated tiled bathrooms on both levels, and you’ll see the completely refreshed kitchen with its gas range, undermount sink, convenient pantry, and a quartz countertop island where 6 can sit for drinks before you head out the door for dinner on 6th Ave.
As we’ll share in the location tour further on, this home has one foot in the North End and the other on 6th Avenue. If you’re working from home, set up an office in the main floor bedroom, then travel a couple of blocks (0.2 miles to be precise) to Bluebeard Coffee to get through the afternoon doldrums. Or just ramble northward through residential streets where conversations drift over garden gates from back patios long into the evening.
Meanwhile, in your own fenced back yard a white lilac shades the lawn, and 2 off-street parking spots with gated access to the paved alley ensure you always have a place to put the car. And those spots do come in handy; while the scene is peaceful and green in the garden, this North Tacoma home is set as near as can be to all 6th Ave has to offer from layer cake to local bistros, vintage vinyl and brick-oven pizza. That’s good news. That means you get your tranquil home-life, and the energetic bustle of life in the city.
If that sounds just about right to you, continue on for the video tour, photos, details, and a list of 20 local favorites nearby.
Main Floor
Entry
Living Room
Dining Room
Eat-in Kitchen with Laundry
Bedroom/Office
Full Bath
Second Floor
East Bedroom
West Bedroom
3/4 Bath
Outside
Covered Front Porch
2 Off-Street Parking Spots
Fully Fenced Back Yard
Lawn & Garden Space
Curbed Street with Sidewalk & Planting Strip
Paved Alley
Entry
After a pause on the covered porch and a glimpse through the octagonal window in the front door, come in to let the open staircase and tiled entry welcome you to an interior of fresh paint, new decorative tile flooring, and bright window light. Before you go any further, notice the walls. The homeowners preserved vintage character by leaving the textured wallpaper in place. The paper yellowed with time, but it was too good to give up on and took its new coat of quiet gray beautifully. That was just one careful choice made throughout the last couple of years of renovation. Hang your hat, slip out of your shoes, set your bags aside, this entryway is your place to shake off the day.
Living Room
Move through the classic cased opening into the living room with its large front windows overlooking the covered porch. New Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring found here and throughout many rooms of the home is sturdy and easy to maintain; an especially practical choice for households with pets, and it feels good underfoot.
Look up as you move around the house. The homeowners scraped off the old popcorn ceiling throughout the home for a smooth texture beautifully framed by tray ceilings and crown molding. Notice too the overhead fans for increased airflow. Those fans, combined with the efficient split-unit ductless heat pump keep both levels of the home warm in winter and cool in summer. And that’s all very practical, and modern, and up to date, but the good news is, there’s also a cozy gas stove in the living room to bring even more warmth and ambiance in the colder months.
Sit a minute. Invite some friends over in your mind. Imagine a fireside gathering this winter following a trip up 6th Ave for some records to play on the turntable.
Dining Room
An arched opening graciously frames the dining room with its globe pendant light, tray ceiling, and crown molding. There’s an eat-in kitchen just beyond, and the front porch is a nice spot for a meal too, but don’t argue with the value of the dining room. For one thing, it’s a spot for a beautiful table, and a beautiful table is a spot for fresh flowers, and fresh flowers make the day better. Also, dining rooms don't need to be saved for holidays or company. Bring your grilled cheese, your Wednesday night leftovers, the takeout you stopped for on the way home—it’s all welcome.
Eat-in Kitchen
Also, notice the pantry to the right of the window and the additional drawers and cupboard set into the kitchen island for even more storage.
Just past the dining room find this completely updated eat-in kitchen (only the original cabinet boxes remain). The floor, subway tile backsplash, cupboard doors, appliances, countertops and lighting are all part of the recent renovations. A gas range is a welcome sight for the chef in the family, and the undermount sink set into the quartz countertop makes cleaning up smooth and easy.
This kitchen is one of the homeowner’s favorite rooms in the house. Seated at the kitchen island (where several friends can join you) you can see out through the front room windows. There’s a sense of openness, plenty of countertop space, and direct access to the yard through the side door.
Main Floor Bedroom/Office
This main floor bedroom makes an excellent office space, workout space, or 3rd bedroom (you'll find 2 more upstairs). Not pictured is the bedroom closet that extends out toward the exterior north wall for a good amount of storage space. With a full bath and a bedroom on the main floor, there's a lot of flexibility in this home.
Whether you set this room up as a main floor bedroom or as an office doesn’t really matter, the real question is: do you need a pet portrait to complete the room? And the answer is: heck yes you need a pet portrait.
Full Bath
The main floor full bath is accessed from the kitchen. If you come in the side door, you’ll find it immediately on your right (not a bad arrangement at all). This bathroom is completely redone with a hexagon and diamond tile floor, tiled shower/bath and new fixtures. If you’re moving from a 1 bathroom living situation, you’ll especially appreciate having baths on 2 floors here.
Laundry
An accordion door in the kitchen opens to the laundry area at the northeast corner of the home. It's all set with a washer, dryer, shelving and the water heater too. This is a practical, gets-the-job-done room, and we know you’ll be glad to have it—trips to the laundromat or down the steep dark basement stairs be gone!
Two Second Floor Bedrooms
Now let's move up to the 2nd floor where you'll find this east bedroom on the left at the top of the stairs. The upstairs rooms are refreshed with the new flooring, paint and smooth ceilings consistent with the rest of the home. Notice the ductless heating/cooling unit on the wall. That unit combined with the ceiling fans keeps the upstairs level comfortable across seasons. If you’ve been living in Tacoma this summer, you’ll know that the hot days and warm nights can add up after a while and this cooling option will be a welcome feature. A long, low closet is set into the north wall. It’s a quirky, old house closet, but it works!
The home's 3rd bedroom faces west overlooking the front yard and North Steele Street. Pleasant and lit by afternoon light, the temperature is well regulated by the ductless heat pump and overhead fan. The gable ceiling creates a cozy arch overhead. Depending on the needs of your household, this room makes a good guest room, workspace, nursery, or 3rd bedroom.
Those two tiny windows that give the front of the home such character look out from little closets in the eaves on the north and south walls of the bedroom. Can’t you imagine being little and peeking out those tiny closet windows? If you can’t, I’d suggest stopping everything and giving that a try right now.
3/4 Bath
This fully redone 3/4 bath is set right between the 2 upstairs bedrooms. Notice the contrasting black and white tile floor that extends into the subway tile shower. The 3/4 bath is completed with some storage in the vanity and another undermount sink for easy clean-up.
Outside - Parking, Yard & Garden
This is a home for someone who appreciates a good front porch. Wide and welcoming with some privacy created by the lilac bush, this covered porch is a nice spot to sit down to dinner for 2, or in solitude with some iced tea and a book. In front, the garden is low maintenance, yet friendly and alive with lavender, huckleberries, clematis, peony, and lilac. A planting strip borders the sidewalk on this curbed residential North Tacoma street.
The fully fenced back yard includes 2 off-street parking spots with gated access to the paved alley (a paved alley keeps the whole neighborhood tidier). There's a small lawn for space to run and play. Lay a quilt in the mix of sun and shade beneath the backyard lilac and other trees and shrubs on the north side of the yard. A rock covered area at the back of the home has some serious patio potential. Picture paving stones with room for green groundcover to grow in the space between. You could also consider leaving the rocks in place and building some raised beds for veggies and flowers.
On the south side of the lot, a side door opens from the kitchen to a narrow porch. Head back toward the yard and parking area, or take a paved path lined with ferns that extends all the way to the fence at the front.
Location
When you live here at 625 N Steele St you have your feet in two worlds, each as inviting as the other. One foot is planted in North Tacoma where you can follow the tree-shaded sidewalks farther and farther north—taking in the vine-covered arbors and shaded front porches as you go—until you see the saltwater sparkling in Commencement Bay below. Your other foot is planted in the eclectic, energetic life of 6th Avenue where brewed, bottled, and baked offerings beckon you from pre-breakfast coffee all the way through post-dinner drinks or dessert.
Image from Bluebeard Coffee Roasters - this beloved local roaster is only a couple of blocks away, so you don’t really need to be completely awake until you get there and settle in with some coffee.
Go ahead, slip into your boots or slide on your sandals. Follow your nose to the ginger-lemon brightness of Gather Juice Co., or turn toward that toasted sugar scent emanating from Legendary Doughnuts. It could be your nose is picking up the biscuits and gravy goodness wafting from DOA, unless you’ve already moved on to burgers and fries at Spanky Burger. Maybe you’re ready for the hopped and ambered part of your weekend, with more of an ear for “stout” and “IPA” than “maple bar” or “smoothie bowl.” In this case, State Street Beer and The Red Hot can take care of you. It’s possible you just want to sit on the front porch, away from the bustle, but you still don’t feel like cooking. In that case, word is takeout from North China Garden is the ticket.
Image from Field Bar & Bottle Shop specializing in natural wines, craft cocktails, and community pop-ups. We think you’ll be glad to be in the neighborhood.
Image from The Cat & Rabbitt Cake Shop less than half a mile from your door!
But fresh juice, smoothies, wellness lattes, brick oven pizzas, natural wines, doughnuts, and brews are really only the very tip of the 6th Avenue iceberg. We haven’t even talked about coffee much yet. You have local roasters to the east and west. The sun rises over Bluebeard Coffee Roasters and sets on Valhalla Coffee Co., so your appetite for that distinct blend of aromatics and atmosphere will no doubt be met by these two. Is a friend visiting for the weekend? You can let them choose from tacos, hot dogs, South American, All American, small plates, craft cocktails, handmade pasta, curry, burgers, and bar food. And you can get there on foot, or roll there on wheels. And you can turn around for brunch the next day. We wish you luck with your decisions.
Okay, there’s plenty to eat and at least as much to drink. But there are also strolls to and through the beautiful University of Puget Sound campus, loops around Wright Park, and ambles along sidewalks beside homes from the early and mid 20th century toward the Three Bridges District where you’ll find another local favorite coffee shop, Lander Coffee one mile from your door.
Here on the north side of 6th you’re in the center of so many of Tacoma’s favorite areas like Stadium to the east and Proctor to the northwest, with 6th Ave itself to take you all the way through the city—east to everything downtown or west to The Narrows.
Image from University of Puget Sound - The UPS campus is just 0.8 miles away with its green lawns, paved paths, and shady courtyards.
You can learn more on our 6th Avenue Neighborhood Page and at 6th Ave Tacoma. And to give you an even better idea of where this home fits into the city, take a look at our list of 20 Tacoma destinations close by.
20 FAVORITE TACOMA DESTINATIONS Within 1.5 Miles (but mostly much closer!)
Image from Hi-Voltage Records - shop for new and vintage vinyl and discs mere blocks from home.
6th Ave
DOA - Dirty Oscar’s Annex: 0.1 miles
MSM Deli: 0.1 miles
Primo Grill: 0.2 miles
Field Bar & Bottle Shop: 0.2 miles
Bluebeard Coffee Roasters: 0.2 miles
State Street Beer: 0.2 miles
Asado: 0.3 miles
E9 Firehouse & Gastropub: 0.3 miles
Spanky Burger & Brew: 0.3 miles
Hi-Voltage Records: 0.3 miles
The Cat & Rabbitt Cake Shop: 0.3 miles
The Red Hot: 0.4 miles
Image from Wright Park Tacoma, a 27 acre park with 600 trees, a sprayground, paths, sport courts, a conservatory, and even a lawn bowling green located 1 mile from 625 N Steele.
North End + Proctor
University of Puget Sound: 0.8 miles
Magoo’s Annex: 0.9 miles
Lander Coffee: 1 mile
Tacoma Public Library Wheelock Branch: 1.9 miles
Metropolitan Market: 2 miles
Stadium District
MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital: 0.9 miles
Wright Park: 1 mile
The Grand Cinema: 1.2 miles
More Information From the Listing Agent
Come see this Tacoma storybook home in person to get a feel for the layout, style, size, and location.
And feel free to call or text me, Michael Duggan, at 253-226-2787. I’ll be happy to answer your questions about this property, or talk with you about Tacoma and the local real estate market in general.
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