514 S Sheridan Ave, Tacoma
$975,000
7 Beds
2.5 Baths
4,290 Sq Ft Total, 3,524 finished
6,500 Sq Ft Lot
Open House: Sunday, March 30th, 10 am-1 pm
Home: To cross this threshold is to behold the beauty of the old. The historic Tweeden House, built just in time to celebrate holidays at the close of 1904, carries the legacy of that era’s stunning craftsmanship. Washington-grown hemlock woodwork rises from baseboard to board-and-batten paneling to beamed, herringbone ceilings. A river rock fireplace, open staircase, and art glass window define the entry hall. A second stone fireplace with a new gas insert warms the den and truly offers the “Good Cheer” inscribed below the mantel. Gracious cased openings connect parlor, living room, den, and dining room in this elegant main floor.
“What first drew us was the historical, big old house vibes. The herringbone wood ceilings and paneling throughout the first floor, the large primary bedroom, the big wraparound porch, the fireplaces! We just saw ourselves living there forever, surrounded by our friends and family. ”
Created for comfort and entertaining, the first floor includes the updated kitchen where light fills the west windows into the evening.
Find a spacious primary bedroom on the 2nd floor overlooking the beautiful, old neighborhood shade trees, baths on all three floors, and bedrooms for everyone. Likely, one or two bedrooms will become your work-from-home space, sewing room, or art studio.
Out back, the patio waits just outside the kitchen door for summer parties. In front, the wraparound porch faces east for sunrise. Carry a quilt and cup of tea out in the mornings for first light and just see if you can imagine a horse shaking her mane by the original hitching post. Even if you can’t conjure a horse from long gone days, you may still enjoy the company of the trees.
Along with plenty of indoor places for storage, this property offers a garage, fully fenced back yard, solar panels, and other valuable updates for modern living.
Recent Notable Updates:
2024
Upgraded the kitchen including: new cabinets, updated plumbing, fresh paint
Upgraded the 1st floor 3/4 bathroom including: vanity, mirror, lighting, and paint
2023:
Installed a new gas fireplace
Repainted the exterior
2022: Refinished fir floors
2020
New washer and dryer
Finished 3rd floor sun porch
Fresh skim-coat in the front living room
2019:
Installed solar panels - fully paid off
New automatic garage door
Replaced the fence
2018: New electrical panel for the home and a sub-panel for the garage
“The neighborhood kids walk to school together and it is such a sweet street. Summer nights are spent in the front yard with neighbors and kids running around.”
Preinspection: A recent seller-procured home inspection is completed and attached to the seller’s disclosure. Available upon request.
Community—Wedge Neighborhood Historic District: This historic home belongs to the Wedge Neighborhood Historic District, which is part of the local Tacoma Register, the National Register of Historic Places, and the Washington Heritage Register. When the homeowners talk about the location, they share about warm evenings on the front porch with neighborhood kids playing in front yards, the annual “Wedge” block party, riding the light rail to the art museum or to catch transit to Seattle, walking to Wright Park, and the fun of living near restaurants, groceries, ice cream, doughnuts, and coffee in Stadium, the 6th Ave District, Hilltop, and downtown.
We proudly represent this home alongside Anne Jones. Continue on for the video tour, historical details, photos, the floor plan, and a more thorough neighborhood introduction including our list of 20 favorite local destinations and services nearby.
Main Floor
Reception Hall with River Rock Fireplace
Front Parlor with Pocket Doors
Living Room with Porch Access
Den with Gas Fireplace & Small Conservatory
Formal Dining Room
Eat-in Kitchen with Back Door
3/4 Bath
Open Front Staircase & Back Informal Staircase
Storage Room with Backyard Access
2nd Floor
Landing with a Built-in Window Seat Halfway up the Front Staircase
Primary Suite with Bedroom, Sitting Room & Walk-in Closet
4 Additional Bedrooms
Full Bath
Laundry Chute
3rd Floor
Living Room/Bonus Room
2 Bedrooms/Offices
3/4 Bath with Separate Water Heater
Sun Porch
Unfinished Basement
Laundry Area
Storage Space
Gas Furnace & Water Heater
Garage & Grounds
Wraparound Covered Front Porch
Single-Car Detached Garage
Fully Fenced Back Yard
Back Lawn & Patio
Mature Trees & Landscaping
Front Lawn
Original Hitching Post
Paved Pathways
Historical Note - The Tweeden House & Tacoma in the early 1900s
Early record of 514 S Sheridan Ave. Source: Tacoma Daily Ledger
Thank goodness (and everyone who’s stewarded this house) the original hemlock millwork is still intact.
According to the Tacoma Daily Ledger which published a story about this home on Christmas Day in 1904, the Tweeden House was completed just the week before. Did the Tweeden family have time to unpack and trim a tree? We can imagine they rang in the new year in the hemlock-wrapped rooms of their new home’s main floor. County records list 1905 as the “year built.” This slight discrepancy makes sense to us as completion was right at the holidays at the end of 1904 when city offices were likely closed, thus officially recording the building in 1905.
1905 photo of a professional driver at the entrance to Wright Park (later the official driver for the Rust Mansion). Image Credit: Northwest Room at the Tacoma Public Library General Photograph Collection TPL-4261
As of 2025, Tacoma holds nine different designated Historic Districts including the Wedge Neighborhood Historic District to which this home belongs. 514 S Sheridan is featured in a self-guided City of Tacoma Wedge District walking tour and is one of eight homes featured in the 2007 Tacoma Historical Society’s Historic Homes of Tacoma Tour.
What else was happening in this part of Tacoma in the early years of life in the Tweeden house? In 1906, less than a mile away, the iconic structure then called Tacoma High and now known as Stadium High School was completed and opened for enrollment. Building began in 1891.
Visitors to Point Defiance Park circa 1905. Perhaps the Tweeden family made excursions, dressed in formal clothing, to Point Defiance Park too. Named Owen Beach in 1959, Tacoma Parks says the beach was sometimes referred to as Picnic Beach during this turn-of-the-century period. Image Credit: Northwest Room at The Tacoma Public Library, General Photograph Collection TPL-1022
A couple of years later the WW Seymour Botanical Conservatory at Wright Park opened in 1908. It’s one of only three public Victorian conservatories on the West Coast.
The City of Tacoma’s Wedge District Walking Tour illuminates a bit about the earliest residents of the home: “Built in 1904, this residence was the home of Andrew and Bertha Tweeden. Tweeden and his business partner, Adelbert U. Mills, designed and built the house. Tweeden and Mills were partners in the Northwest Bridge Company from 1899 until 1909. The company specialized in both general construction and bridge work…After Andrew’s death in 1923, Bertha sold the property to Solomon H. and Goldie N. Farber, who owned the house until their deaths in the late 1940s. Jay. R. and Irene A. Merrick purchased the house in 1948.” The Merricks continued in the home until Ms. Merrick’s death in 1990. Incidentally, both the Farbers and Merricks owned jewelry stores in Tacoma.
Location - Historic Wedge District Near Stadium, Hilltop & 6th Ave
Can you spot the spires of Stadium High right on the cusp of Commencement Bay?
Stadium High on a winter night. As our homeowner says “Also, Stadium is within walking distance and who doesn't want to go to school in a castle?!”
Bluebeard is tried and true. Meet a friend, bring a book, or just stare out the big windows.
Visit the Grand Cinema for date night, their free family flicks, and Tacoma’s annual film festival.
The Historic Wedge District spans just a few blocks where Hilltop meets the Stadium District, the Historic North Slope, and the 6th Ave Business District. Notably, the University of Puget Sound is just over a mile distant, and Wright Park—home to a Victorian conservatory—is so close the most recent residents of the Tweeden House walked there most days.
While the Wedge District, established in 2011, has an identity of its own that long precedes the official establishment of its historic status, it is defined and enhanced by the communities surrounding it. The recently extended Link Light Rail Line serves to connect Hilltop, Stadium, and Downtown, making it easier than ever to leave the car behind and ride to museums, theaters, restaurants, and even to the Tacoma Dome Station to catch a bus or the Sounder up to Seattle.
The homeowners at 514 S Sheridan loved the proximity to Stadium for everything from the iconic Frisko Freeze to shopping at Stadium Thriftway’s butcher counter. Diners come to Stadium from around the city for several favorite restaurants. If you visit Moshi for ramen and cocktails, you could stop at Indo Asian next door for appetizers, then meander down the sidewalk to Shake, Shake, Shake for dessert. Or, meet a friend for brunch at Art House Cafe, then drop into Rankos’ Rexall Drugs to post a letter, and finish the afternoon with fresh air at Wright Park and a cup of coffee at Cosmonaut.
“It’s extremely walkable, you still have the feeling of a quaint home while also being downtown.”
Head to Hilltop to support small, local businesses. Order a big bowl of pho at Pho Bac, get pizza and cocktails at Bar Rose, and enjoy treats like the special crullers at Le Donut, waffles and coffee at kid-friendly Red Elm, and specialty chocolates from Johnson Candy Co. Engage with the Hilltop community at quarterly meetings of the Hilltop Action Coalition working to “sustain a resilient community with socially-just housing, jobs, commerce, and quality of life.”
The WW Seymour Botanical Conservatory at Wright Park is a balmy oasis of orchids and ferns.
6th Ave offers plenty of options close to home. Bluebeard, just half a mile from the Tweeden House, offers a light-filled cafe space, excellent coffee (roasted at their STW location), and recently added fresh pastries from Three Hearts in Hilltop to their menu. Field Bar is a city favorite for natural wine, craft cocktails, a seasonal menu, and brunch on the 3rd Sunday of each month.
Get to know the Stadium District, 6th Ave, and Hilltop Neighborhood better in our Neighborhood Guide.
Just a few blocks away, Tacoma Community House has served Tacoma for over a hundred years with an emphasis on immigrants, refugees, and literacy.
And take a look at our list of 20 local destinations to get an even better idea of where this home and neighborhood fit in the wider community.
20 FAVORITE LOCAL DESTINATIONS & SERVICES WITHIN 1 mile Distance
(Travel times here are estimated for travel by car/on foot.)
If it’s old-school burger and fries time, you’ll be glad to know Frisko Freeze is a mere 0.2 miles away.
Dining, Drinks & Treats
Frisko Freeze: 0.2 miles, 1/5 minutes
Burger Seoul: 0.4 miles, 2/7 minutes
Hanks Pizza & Beer: 0.5 miles, 2/10 minutes
Bluebeard Coffee Roasters: 0.5 miles, 3/11 minutes
State Street Beer: 0.5 miles, 3/11 minutes
Bar Rosa: 0.5 miles, 3/12 minutes
Phở Bac Cafe: 0.6 miles, 3/12 minutes
Three Hearts: 0.6 miles, 3/14 minutes
Indo Asian Street Eatery: 0.7 miles, 4/15 minutes
Even if you don’t have time for a meal, you can still pop into Field Bar for their “to-go” pantry.
Groceries & Services
MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital: 0.4 miles, 2/7 minutes
Stadium Thriftway: 0.7 miles, 4/14 minutes
Tacoma Public Library Main Branch: 0.9 miles, 4/20 minutes
Parks & Activities
Wright Park: 0.4 miles, 2/12 minutes
Grand Cinema: 0.7 miles, 3/16 minutes
McMenamins Elks Temple: 0.9 miles, 4/20 minutes
Schools
Evergreen State College Tacoma: 0.2 miles, 1 /4 minutes
Bryant Montessori (Public, PK-8): 0.4, 2/8 minutes
Hilltop Heritage Middle School: 0.5 miles, 3/9 minutes
Stadium High School: 0.8 miles, 4/16 minutes
Annie Wright Schools: 1 mile, 4/22 minutes
Reception Hall & Staircase
Welcome to the Tweeden House in Tacoma's Historic Wedge District, a remarkable example of turn-of-the-century quality and craftsmanship. The original river rock fireplace defines the reception hall; a signal of hospitality and comfort, it reminds all who enter to pause and enjoy. Throughout the home valuable updates ensure modern comfort while stunning original woodwork carries the grandeur of the past into today.
Original Washington-grown hemlock millwork is on display from baseboard to board-and-batten paneling, from crown molding to the beamed, herringbone ceiling while original fir floors gleam below. Notice too the ornate heating register here and throughout the house. Every direction calls with interest. Where to start? Go straight ahead into the formal dining room? Up the stairs toward the window seat? Let's take a left into the parlor to begin.
Parlor
“The view from the front room onto the street is my favorite view, you can see all the old trees and no matter the weather, it is always beautiful to look at.”
The front parlor offers light and elegance with windows facing south and east. Look out across the wraparound porch to the neighborhood trees and activity of people going to and from nearby schools. A cased opening—complete with a set of working pocket doors—connects the parlor to the living room and den beyond. Slide them open to glimpse light coming through all the way from the kitchen at the back of the house, or closed to keep the focus in one place. Notice the design of the fir floors throughout. Rather than all running parallel to one another, you'll see "stepped" borders sometimes referred to as a "log cabin corners."
Living Room
Beamed, herringbone ceilings, floor to ceiling paneling, and distinctive fir floors wrap the living room in the beauty of all its original millwork. Thank goodness for every steward of this home who has chosen to preserve and maintain these rooms. Like works of art, they are valuable, expressive, and indicative of both high skill, and good design.
Notice the door in the corner of the living room that opens onto the wraparound porch for fresh air and a smooth transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces.
Den & Conservatory
A second original stone fireplace draws the eye beyond the living room into the adjacent den. The homeowners installed a new gas fireplace for comfort. Built-ins with leaded glass doors above the mantel create space to display heirlooms and collections.
You have to look closely in this photograph, but there it is: an inscription in the stone below the mantel reads "Good Cheer." If you have the opportunity to visit in person, this will be one of the delights.
“The kitchen has beautiful light and is always where we ended up after long days of being with the kiddos and working, the dining room hosted so many big dinners and laughs with friends, the “second” living room...is usually where our parties would spill over. In front of the fireplace was really the workhorse of the house and where Christmas mornings were spent.”
While the warmth and glow of the fireplace draws attention in the evenings, this little conservatory glows in the morning and afternoon light. This feature of the home is mentioned in the earliest descriptions—your beloved houseplants can continue the tradition of green and growing things enlivening this home for the last 120 years.
Dining Room
Move from the central living room and den into this formal dining room where the herringbone ceiling continues. Board-and-batten wainscot is topped with plate rail trim for displaying treasures. A doorway leads in from the reception hall, and another opens to the back hall toward the 3/4 bathroom and the kitchen.
Easy movement between the dining room, living room, and den provides for natural entertaining. There's always somewhere comfortable to sit and visit before and after a meal is served. Linger at the dining table, wander off for quiet chats in the parlor, bring games into the living room, play the piano by the fireside in the den.
Eat-in Kitchen
Different eras join to create a kitchen both up-to-date and full of charm. The brick wall to the south lends an element of solidity and old world character, while the original stove stands in contrast to the modern gas range. Enjoy the new cabinets and general kitchen refresh recently completed by the homeowners. Best of all might be the south and west windows pulling in natural light late into the evenings in summer and for as long as we can get it in the darker seasons.
“Stadium Thriftway has a great butcher shop, it was always wonderful to cook in that kitchen—it has the best winter light. Really, the house is perfect for hosting large dinner parties. Any time I was cooking for a crowd the dishes were out of the way and our guests were just allowed to relax and enjoy the house.
”
Set up a breakfast table, a spot for afternoon coffee breaks, a place for family and friends to sit and keep you company while you cook. Open the kitchen door and carry dishes out to patio for summer bbqs, afternoon tea parties, and early autumn backyard parties that stretch between the house and garden.
3/4 Bathroom & Pantry-Linen Storage
Take the hall toward the dining room to reach this recently refreshed 3/4 bathroom with its new vanity, mirror, and lighting. Each floor of the home (excluding the basement) offers a bathroom. Shower here, visit the 2nd floor full bath, or find the 3rd floor 3/4 bath with one more shower.
Just a few feet from the kitchen, this short hall to the bathroom is lined with closets and built-ins for pantry and linen storage.
Heading Upward
It's time to take the front staircase that draws notice as soon as one comes in the front door. (There's a back staircase just outside the kitchen near the den as well.)
A built in window seat waits on the landing. It's lovely and picturesque, but it's also a reminder to rest. Old houses have that way about them, a voice that suggests perhaps we don't need to be in such a hurry.
Primary Bedroom
“In the neighborhood we especially love the old trees; during the summer and spring it sounds like an ocean. I would spend evenings listening to the trees with the window open in the primary bedroom.”
The primary bedroom stretches across the front of the home with windows overlooking the front yard and the tall trees lining the block. Fir floors and hemlock millwork continue on this upper level of the home. A cased opening leads to the sitting room where another east-facing window captures the morning light. Beyond the sitting room a walk-in closet with its own window waits.
Full Bath
Just down the hall find the full bath with its original linen cupboard for storage. Simple white wainscoting, the claw foot tub, laundry chute, and tiled floor preserve early 20th century character.
4 Additional 2nd Floor Bedrooms
Four additional bedrooms, each with fir floors, extend along the 2nd floor hall with convenient access to the full bath. Notice the substantial baseboard trim, solid wood doors, and wood lined closets.
3rd Floor Bonus Room
Midway down the 2nd floor hall a door opens to a shorter hall holding the upper staircase. This staircase leads you to the 3rd floor with its spacious, carpeted bonus room. Substantial storage under the eaves is easily accessible via a standard height door.
3rd Floor 3/4 Bath
The 3rd and final bathroom includes a tiled shower heated by a water heater dedicated just to this level of the home.
2 Additional 3rd Floor Bedrooms & Shared Sun Porch
This 3rd floor offers two bedrooms, used most recently as home offices. With 7 bedrooms total, it's easy to find a place for work, rest, guests, and play. The bedrooms adjoin a little bonus room, or sun porch that catches light from the south, west, and north.
Set up a little reading nook, drawing table, or plant sanctuary.
Basement
Reach the unfinished basement via stairs off the kitchen hallway. Down here you'll find the washer and dryer (new in 2020), along with the furnace, water heater, and storage space.
Garage & Grounds
“The back patio is great for summertime dinners and the wraparound porch for all seasons of porch lounging. ”
The fully-fenced back yard holds a detached garage, a patio, lawn, and paved pathways. A white dogwood, blooming cherry, laurel hedge, raspberries, and hydrangeas offer shade, color, and beauty in different seasons.
The single-car, detached garage has its own sub-panel and an automatic door. Paved pathways connect the garage to the back storage room, the kitchen steps, and the back gate that opens to the alley.
Stone pillars stand at the foot of the stairs while columns support and distinguish the wraparound porch. Arrange patio furniture, wicker chairs, and flower pots. Bring blankets and cushions—might as well bring a book out here too. Take a rest and catch breezes moving through the big shade trees that help cool the neighborhood. There’s nothing like a good front porch to make a home hospitable. Since 1904 this porch has been welcoming people and it’s not tired yet. 121 years later, from the wraparound porch to the 3rd floor, this house is still ready to make you feel at home.
Floor plan
“That house is part of a community, it will feel like the new person owns it, but truly the neighborhood owns it. It’s like being part of the history of the street to live in that house.”
More Information From the Listing Agent
Connect with even more details here.
Come see this historic 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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