Sold - Community Central

1616 S L St, Tacoma

Listed $385,000/Sold $390,000

2 Beds

1 Bath

988 Sq Ft - 792 Finished + 196 Unfinished

3,250 Sq Ft Lot

Open House: Saturday, March 30th, 12 Pm - 2 pm

Home: After years of moving from place to place, signing leases and making deposits, many of us have imagined what a home of our own would feel like. And some of us know it doesn’t need to be a castle in the clouds or a grand estate. Some of us know that just a window of our own framing the front yard and the oak tree by the sidewalk brings joy. Some of us find contentment in a simple arrangement of rooms, soft carpet in the morning, a kitchen floor to sweep. Now add the sun arcing up over the roof, beginning to bend low in the west towards sunset, shining down on the back yard—on the friends who came to bbq, on the tomatoes you planted with a bit of hope, on the grass turning from green to summer gold—and maybe you feel like you really have found yourself a bit of a dream.

Set in the center of the Hilltop community—right across the street from the People’s Center & Pool, with light rail, hospitals, nonprofits, and family-owned businesses just blocks away—this home is ready to shelter and support someone new. Updated plumbing and a freshly painted interior help you settle into the comfort of the single-level layout. A full bath stands between two bedrooms, while the front living space opens to a kitchen with quartz counters and a full set of appliances that flows through to the laundry and a dining nook. A front porch welcomes visitors from the fenced front lawn and sliding doors open to a fully fenced back yard. Sunlight lasts long into the afternoon in the west-facing garden with room to plant veggies and flowers, hang a hammock, and build a garage.

Updates:

  • Freshly Painted Interior

  • Updated Plumbing

Community: This is a Hilltop home. Step outside the front gate into the shade of the oak tree growing along the sidewalk, look both ways, and cross the street straight to the People’s Community Center with its pool, cultural celebrations, classes, and events. Head northeast for a few blocks and you’ll land at the Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center where Tacoma youth learn all kinds of dance, attend events, and engage in personal development—don’t worry, they have weekly drop-in classes for adults too. If you know the neighborhood, you already know Hilltop is central. Yes, it’s a central location, near downtown, with easy access to I-5, the highway and Stadium—with the light rail expansion making it even more connected—but more importantly, it’s central to the Tacoma story. It’s a historic and vital neighborhood and we hope you’ll read more about it in our location section. If you’re looking to live here, be ready to belong to and invest in this community. If you’re a walker, jogger, cyclist, skater, or like getting around on any other kind of wheels, you’ll enjoy taking a closer look at our list of non-profits, restaurants, parks, hospitals, schools, and coffee shops—many just a few blocks away.

Preinspection: A recent seller-procured home inspection is completed and attached to the seller’s disclosure. Available upon request.

Continue on for the video tour, photos, details, and a list of 20 favorite local destinations and services nearby.

Ground Floor

  • Entry

  • Living Room

  • Kitchen

  • Dining Nook & Laundry

  • 2 Bedrooms

  • Full Bath

Unfinished Basement

  • Furnace

  • Water Heater

  • Storage Space

  • Crawl Space Access

  • Basement Accessed via Exterior Door on the North Side of the Back Steps

Outdoors

  • Fully Fenced Yard with Lawn in Front & Back

  • Paved Path From Front Gate to Front Porch

  • Room to Build a Garage and Grow a Garden

Location

INTRO TO THE HILLTOP

The Hilltop Neighborhood, where you find this home, is set above Tacoma's downtown. Churches dot the corners of many Hilltop blocks, while hospitals provide jobs and services, and educational institutions like UW Tacoma, Bates Technical College, and The Evergreen State Tacoma campus bring opportunities. The Link light rail project connects Hilltop to Downtown Tacoma and the Stadium District, providing increased access for those who don’t own a car, or prefer (for all kinds of reasons!) to use public transit. Meet a friend for breakfast at Red Elm, spend half an hour at Edna Travis Park for fresh air and mountain views. Take a swim and get to know your neighbors at the People's Community Center, and enjoy the Hilltop Street Fair every August.

Image from People’s Community Center - Parents and community feeling the joy during the annual Black History Month celebration.

Historically a neighborhood that’s been home to Black families and a center for Black-owned businesses, Hilltop has been populated by a diverse mix of cultures throughout its history. However, this is now a neighborhood feeling the pressures of gentrification.

Tacoma Community House focuses on education and advocacy work in the Hilltop and has been doing so for over 100 years. It’s a great place to find meaningful volunteer work and community connection just a few blocks from home!

COMMUNITY ADVOCACY & ENGAGEMENT

Brew a pot at home, or scoot down the street to Manifesto Coffee Roasters, then get your hair trimmed next door at Goodfellas Barbershop 253.

Hilltop offers a myriad of ways to get involved, give back, and belong. Volunteer with the Boys & Girls Club. Find cycling enthusiast friends at 2nd Cycle Community Cycle Center where bikes are rebuilt, donated, and shared, and there are always opportunities to get together and ride. Drop in for adult ballet, or support youth in the arts at Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center. Did we mention Tacoma Community House? Their advocacy work began over a hundred years ago and they’re going strong in their work with refugees, immigrants, employment, and education.

HILLTOP BUSINESS DISTRICT

The Hilltop Action Coalition organizes annual events like the summertime Hilltop Street Fair with cultural sharing, food, music, dance.

The heart of the Hilltop's business district stretches between S. 19th and S. 9th on Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Favorites on MLK include The Fish House Cafe, a tiny blue restaurant serving fried fish and shrimp baskets for decades, Johnson Candy Company (since 1949!), and Phở Bac (since the 1980s). Newer additions to the neighborhood like Red Elm Cafe, Manifesto Coffee, and bars like The Eleven Eleven indicate the ever-changing nature of this area.

Take a look at our list of nearby favorite Tacoma destinations below. We’ve calculated the distance from the doorstep of 1616 S L St to help you imagine where you’d fit in the city if you make this house your home.

20 FAVORITE TACOMA DESTINATIONS WITHIN 1 MILe

Distance, Travel Time On Foot or Slow Wheels/Travel Time By Car

Johnson Candy Company is a definite Hilltop institution and local favorite for candies, chocolates, and hand-dipped ice cream bars just over half a mile from 1616 S L.

Image from Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center, a nonprofit lifting up diverse youth through dance and performing arts experiences.

Dining, Drinks & Treats
Fish House Cafe: 0.2 miles, 5 minutes/1 minute
Quickie Too A Vegan Cafe: 0.2 mile, 5 minutes/2 minutes
Red Elm Cafe: 0.4 miles, 9 minutes/2 minutes
Phở Bac Cafe: 0.4 miles, 10 minutes/3 minutes
The Eleven Eleven Bar: 0.4 miles, 10 minutes/3 minutes
Manifesto Coffee Roasters: 0.5 miles, 11 minutes/3 minutes
Le Donut: 0.5 miles, 12 minutes/3 minutes
Johnson Candy Company: 0.6 miles, 12 minutes/3 minutes

Community Centers & Activities
People’s Community Center & Pool: 262 feet, 1 minute
Tacoma Community House: 0.2 miles, 5 minutes/2 minutes
Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center: 0.5 miles, 10 minutes/2 minutes
Goodfellas Barbershop 253: 0.5 miles, 11 minutes/3 minutes
Tacoma Library Main Branch: 0.7 miles, 16 minutes/4 minutes

Groceries, Hospitals & Schools
St. Joseph Medical Center: 0.2 miles, 4 minutes/2 minutes
Community Health Care: 0.3 miles, 8 minutes/3 minutes
Enda Travis Elementary: 0.5 miles, 11 minutes/2 minutes
Safeway: 0.5 miles, 10 minutes/3 minutes
Bates Technical College: 0.7 miles, 14 minutes/4 minutes
University of Washington Tacoma: 0.7 miles, 15 minutes/4 minutes
MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital: 1 mile, 22 minutes/5 minutes

Living Room & Entry

Come in from the covered front porch to an entry hall with a convenient coat closet. Drop your bags, stash your shoes, hang up your jacket—you’re home. Having lived in a house without a coat closet, we fully appreciate them now and find it’s always worth pointing out a good closet.

The living room welcomes you just beyond the entry at the front of the home. A north window and east window bring in natural light. Finished with freshly painted walls and laminate flooring, this is a comfortable room for gathering and relaxing. Bring in a dining table to share space with the couch, or just use the dining nook beyond the kitchen.

Kitchen

An open doorway connects the living room to the kitchen which flows through to the laundry area and dining nook. The kitchen features quartz countertops and a full set of appliances including a refrigerator, dishwasher, and oven/range. A double-basin, stainless, undermount sink makes for easy clean-up and practical vinyl flooring extends all the way to the sliding glass door in back. You'll notice a good amount of counter space for doing food prep and nice high clearance under the cabinets, as well as several outlets. Slide a microwave in and bring an electric kettle too. It’s easy to keep an eye on family or friends in the living room while you cook or wash up, and the laundry is just a few feet away when it’s time to change loads.

Dining Nook

Head back through the kitchen to this bright dining nook and laundry area. Set up a dining table here by the sliding glass door where the afternoon light brightens meals. We’re calling this a dining nook, but you can use the space however you like. Set up a loveseat for a sunny reading spot. Find a bench with shoe cubbies underneath. Bring the perfect table or shelves for your potted plants and get some veggie seedlings started. The thing is, when it’s your place, you get to decide what’s best.

Laundry

The laundry area includes a washer and dryer as well as cabinets for storage. Tuck laundry detergent, extra linens, and other household items up in the cupboards. If you've been hauling clothes down to a basement or out to a laundromat to get laundry done, this room is probably a pretty welcome sight.

Two Bedrooms

The two bedrooms line up along the south wall of the house with the full bath standing between. Both bedrooms feature a good-sized closet, carpeted floors, and freshly painted walls.

If you don’t need both for everyday use, the front room could be an office, exercise room, hobby room, or a sweet spot tucked away for guests.

Full Bath

Choose between a shower or a soak in this full bath set in the hallway between the bedrooms. There’s built-in linen storage behind the door, and lots of storage in both cupboards and drawers in the vanity. A quartz counter and backsplash extend over the vanity, and an undermount sink tops it off.

Outside

The fenced front yard offers privacy and keeps things simple with a lawn. If you love working in the garden, you could plant shrubs, favorite flowers, or a small tree. If just mowing the lawn is more your speed, you’re all set. Beyond the fence a beautiful oak grows beside the sidewalk so you’ll get to enjoy the life and shade it brings.

Open the sliding glass door to head out into the fully fenced back yard. At the foot of the back steps a short stairwell leads down to the basement door. Inside you'll find the furnace, water heater, storage space, and crawl space access.

For now the back yard is low-maintenance with grass stretching to the back gate. The 3,250 square foot lot offers space for your imaginative ideas from creating a patio to growing a flower garden, adding raised beds for veggies, planting berries, or even building a garage along the alley. There’s room to dream and room to play.

More Information From the Listing Agent

Come see this Hilltop Tacoma 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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Hi, I'm Michael Duggan, a licensed broker with Windermere Abode. I would love to help you through the home buying or selling process. Please contact me to set up a meeting and get things started.