5022 N 26th St, Tacoma
Listed $550,000/Sold $580,000
3 Beds
1.5 Baths
1,578 Sq Ft Finished + 801 Unfinished
6,000 Sq Ft Lot
Some of us like to be connected to days gone by. We like to live in a house whose family once raised a prize chicken in the back yard (as the original homeowners did here). We like the sense of all the picnics and parties, births and birthdays, long nights of worry or study or invention—all the stories lived here. Or, it could be we just like crown molding and vintage built-ins. Either way, this house is one for us, for we who appreciate a good yarn and a solid wood floor.
Image from Looking Around: American Foursquares - You might be wondering if we got in wrong calling this home a Foursquare. Many of us are more familiar with the hipped roof exterior architecture, but gable roof foursquares like the one above, and like 5022 N 26th St, were also very popular designs.
Perched on an elevated lot, this classic 1908 Tacoma foursquare welcomes you with an open staircase, high ceilings, fir floors, and a wide arch leading you to a dining room whose bay window is waiting to show you Mt. Rainier. Keep your eyes open for the mountain from two of the bedrooms and the backyard as well. The home offers valuable updates like newer double-pane windows, a 2019 gas furnace, and a kitchen where the fresh and new features—like beautiful Henderson Hardwood floors—are thoughtfully incorporated with vintage details. It offers vital conveniences like a bathroom on two floors, a European style combo washer/dryer unit, a fully fenced yard, and two off-street parking spaces. And it offers a comfortable balance of open spaces and cozy nooks like the private garden studio where you can retreat for focused work, quiet meetings, or creative endeavors. Beyond all of these attributes, the home also offers significant storage in the unfinished basement, and potential for an attic renovation to add one more room with a view.
You might love it already, and you may love it more when you think about how near this home is to Proctor, to parks, schools, cafes, summer festivals, groceries, gift shops, the farmers market, library, locally owned pubs, ice cream parlors, salons, a plant boutique, a 98 year-old movie theater, breakfast joints, happy hour destinations—maybe we should just say you may love it even more when you realize how close it is to everything that makes life in the city fun, convenient, and steeped in a sense of community.
We’re not sure how you get around, whether you walk, drive, cycle, skate, roll, bus, scoot, or jog, so we can’t tell you exactly how many minutes it will take you to get to Olympia Coffee or the Proctor Farmers’ Market, for example. But we can tell you they’re 0.8 miles from your door, so about 15 minutes away at a steady foot pace, or the breeziest 2 minutes if you’re driving. If you’re heading to the public pool for a sweet summer afternoon, you’d get there in three or four minutes on sandaled feet. Escaping to Vashon Island for the day? Get to the ferry in under 10 minutes. Visiting the Tacoma Art Museum downtown? It’s just a 10 minute drive away. We have much more to share about the neighborhood near this North End home, so make sure to visit our dedicated location section following the house tour.
Continue on for the video tour, photos, details, and a list of 20 local favorites nearby.
Main Floor
Entry
Living Room
Dining Room
Kitchen
Laundry & Half Bath
Second Floor
3 Bedrooms
Full Bath
Access to the Attic
Unfinished Basement
Extensive Storage
Door to the Back Yard
Gas Furnace, Electrical Panel & Water Heater
Garden & Grounds
Covered Front Porch
Garden Studio Office with a Deck
Paved Off-Street Parking in Back
Fully Fenced Yard
Lawn & Garden Space
Back Porch with Stairs to Patio
The House in History
Image from the Tacoma Historical Society - This postcard was written and delivered in 1908, the same year 5022 N 26th was built. The text indicates a time of change, building, and expansion.
Built in 1908—the first year the ball dropped on New Year’s Eve in NYC, the first year the term “melting pot” is used to describe the American population, and a year of record breaking airplane flights (all according to Smithsonian Magazine)—this house has stories tell. To think about it in more local terms, 5022 N 26th arrived on the Tacoma scene just two years after the first class enrolled at Stadium High School (then Tacoma High School). In 1916 the Tacoma News Ledger featured this home in an article titled “Is this Tacoma’s largest family?” The story has been passed down all the way to today’s homeowners who hear the household held 14 people at that time!
Entry
From a wide and friendly covered porch, step inside to a spacious entry where fir floors, high ceilings, and an open staircase, are all illuminated by natural light flowing in through plentiful windows. The homeowners replaced all the windows with double-pane glass for energy efficiency and easy opening.
Living Room
Comfortable and open, the living room gets beautiful light from morning to afternoon. Its windows face east and north, crown molding (that may be original to the house and is certainly period-appropriate), white window trim, and a stately arched opening define the room. You’ll notice a pleasant and practical circular flow to the floorplan on this level of the home. Move easily between the living room, dining room, entry, and kitchen. Bring your books, your iced tea, hot coffee, reading lamps and rugs. This room awaits your quiet mornings, lazy afternoons, or bustling life of coming and going.
Dining Room
Step through the arched opening into the dining room where a bay window waits to show you Mt. Rainier. Summer haze can make the mountain misty, but just imagine it after a good rain clears the air. Even when the mountain isn’t out, this room is lovely. Along with plenty of light and a view, the bay window also creates that little bit of extra space that makes all the difference when you have a full table of guests. You can seat a big gathering of people with ease, and the kitchen is right next door.
Crown molding and fir floors maintain period detail and the built-in on the right is an excellent place to store dishes and linens, candlesticks and vases, or puzzles and games if that’s more your speed.
Kitchen
You know that feeling when you just really love a room and you’re not even sure what it is about it? That’s how the homeowners feel about their kitchen. And we can think of plenty of reasons to love it! They put a lot of time and thought into updating the kitchen while keeping vintage cabinets and character in place. One thing we love is the combination of open cabinets for the display of favorite dishes, and closed cabinets for stacks and stashes of all the necessities that still deserve their place even if they’re not that cute. New cabinets beside the stove and fridge—including a tall narrow cupboard with pull-outs— were built to match the existing cupboards and expand storage space. There’s a good spot for every necessary appliance, including the dishwasher, oven, hood vent, and refrigerator, as well as the perfect sunny shelf for your houseplants.
Local Henderson Hardwoods installed the floor and the quality shows. Crisp counters, tile backsplash, western light, handsome trim, an overhead fan, and recessed lighting complete the room.
Laundry + Half Bath
This solid wooden door just beyond the kitchen opens to a back porch leading down to the patio and garden. If you get fed up with being inside with all those pots and pans, the patio and a breath of fresh air are just steps away. Or, take a right into the half bath and laundry.
The convenience of a main floor bath can't be overstated. Add to it a European style combo washer/dryer unit, and you are all set. Now you don't have to switch clothes between washing and drying! The space fits a stackable washer and dryer set instead if that is preferred.
This room hints at the long history of this house. Notice the interior walls here resemble an enclosed porch. We imagine that’s just what this was at one time. Thanks to the investment that came before your time, it’s now much more.
Three 2nd Floor Bedrooms
Head back toward the entry and up the open staircase to the second floor where you'll notice the ceilings are still remarkably high, adding to a sense of space and light.
Take a left into the front bedroom. This first of three bedrooms faces north. Notice details like crown molding, an overhead fan, and the cozy sitting nook beside one of two closets. One of the pleasant quirky corners of the house, this nook gives you more room to move, a spot for a desk, or a reading lamp and chair. Get creative. You could even turn it into a long closet space if you like.
On the west wall of the bedroom, you'll find another closet and space for a dresser. If you're dreaming of renovating the attic, consider walling this section of the bedroom off and building a staircase to the third floor.
The east bedroom offers similar details with its crown molding, overhead fan, and painted wood floor, but this time one larger closet all set with shelves, hooks, and rods to keep you and your items organized. It’s calm and quiet upstairs above the comings and goings of the main floor. There’s still one more bedroom to see, but first check for mountain views from here!
Find the third bedroom at the back of the house with a window facing south over the back yard. This is another spot for Mt. Rainier views when the sky is clear. Set up a desk at the window for light and for faraway gazing. Gazing into the far distance is said to be good for the mind (you can look it up, or just believe me).
Like the last rooms, the back bedroom's closet is set with shelving, hooks and rods, so you can stow clothes, shoes, and supplies with ease.
Full Bath
The full bath is located conveniently on the second floor landing for easy access from all three bedrooms. Period details abound from the clawfoot tub to the wall mounted sink, built-ins and medicine chest. A window with privacy glass gives light and air, and a tile floor finishes the room.
Unfinished Attic
Accessible from the second floor hall (notice the attic access on the ceiling to outside the full bath), there's serious renovation potential up here. If finished, this room would offer Mt. Rainier and peekaboo Sound views, as well as even more living space. This is just a possibility, something to dream about and consider for that day when you’re itching to create something, to plan and design and build and transform. But you might prefer to just know it’s up there, and continue to live your peaceful life below.
Unfinished Basement
Speaking of below, take the stairwell from the kitchen to the unfinished basement. This large space features multiple windows and gets surprising natural light for a basement. Along with its extensive storage area, the basement is home to the 2019 gas furnace with high quality MERV-16 filtration, as well as the water heater, and electrical panel. A back door opens to a short stairwell up to the patio and garden so you can easily carry your shovel and clippers, garden chairs, patio umbrella, and all those good things straight outside from here.
Backyard Garden Studio
It’s time to go outdoors and explore. Nestled in the private back corner of the yard, this garden studio is a quiet space for creative work, a spot to have a meeting, or to just get away and read. This building isn't wired, but solar lights along with the windows and French doors keep it bright. Bring your desk, your art supplies, your manuscript, your files. Comfortable across seasons and with its very own little deck, think of this as your retreat space. Think of it as your get-away-from-it-all deep breathing space. Or maybe, this spot is all about action. Maybe it’s where your exercise mat lives, where your work-from-home paraphernalia stays, so your bedroom can just be exactly that, a bedroom—too many of us are familiar with that feeling of waking up and looking straight at our workspace. If that’s positive for you, keep at it. If you need some separation between activities—whatever those are—you’ll love this spot.
Patio & Grounds
Now out into the fully fenced yard with its spacious patio, privacy hedge, lawn and garden. You'll see multiple gates for easy movement between the front and back yard, and to the off-street parking area in the back.
The 6,000 sq ft lot offers plenty of room to garden, grow, play, and host parties. Overall, the yard is a pleasant mix of open lawn, trees and shrubs, sun and shade. A wide variety of herbs grow in the garden—like sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano—as well as tomatoes, raspberries, a salmonberry bush, a cherry tree, and dwarf varieties of apple, peach and pear that won't outgrow the space. Keep exploring and you’ll find rhododendrons, roses, a butterfly bush, and Japanese maple.
The covered porch extends across the full front of the house offering friendly seating areas at each end. There's room for benches, a swing, plants, and comfy chairs. It’s also the perfect spot to wipe your shoes and shake off the rain (distant as the memory of wet weather may be) before stepping in. The river stone foundation adds texture and appeal below.
Gates on both the east and west sides of the house provide convenient entry points to the fully fenced front yard, a feature that gives really nice flexibility, especially for life with pets.
To add to the livability and convenience, the property offers two paved off-street parking spots at the back of the lot. Friends can easily park alongside Orchard or on N 26th.
Location
Image from Kandle Pool - More than just a public pool, this park with its playground, sprayground, and walking areas is a mere 0.2 miles from 5022 N 26th.
If you know Tacoma, you already know Proctor is one of the city’s vibrant business districts. If you don’t know Proctor very well yet, let’s get you introduced. Living in the North End this close to the Proctor District is like living in a small town within a city. You have everything you need within an easy distance whether you’re on wheels or on foot, so it's a favorite place to get out those tote bags and do errands while leaving the car behind. Inevitably, we mix in some fun with the to-do list; it's hard not to with cafes like Olympia Coffee Roasting, a wide range of cold drinks in the bottle-shop and bar at Peaks & Pints, ice cream galore at a variety of local treat destinations, beautiful shops like Teaching Toys & Books, Compass Rose, The Proctor Mercantile, The Pacific Northwest Shop, and Lapis. And it just makes sense to check out Megs & Mo Upscale Resale when you go by; you never know!
Image from Bliss Small Batch Creamery - Proctor is packed with delicious treats! Get ice cream at Bliss, at Metropolitan Market’s gelato counter, and soon at Ice Cream Social too. You can’t go wrong.
The combination of Metropolitan Market (where the cheese is plentiful, and the produce is always resplendent) and the Proctor Farmers’ Market makes fresh, beautiful, wholesome foods available every day of the year. The farmers’ market runs every Saturday from late March to mid December with markets on 2nd Saturdays in the winter season. So it may be time to find that little red wagon from when you were a kid and pull it down the street on Saturday mornings to fill with ripe berries, fragrant flowers, glowing honey, sweet buns, wild mushrooms, local eggs, and lots of bunches of leafy greens.
Carry your basket, roll your wagon, or tote your favorite big bag to hold all the goods from the Proctor Farmers’ Market on Saturdays, less than a mile from home!
The shops and markets we’ve mentioned so far are just the beginning of what Proctor has to offer. Go visit and you might find yourself at Chalet Bowl or settling in for a film at the Blue Mouse Theatre. You can read even more about the Proctor community on our Neighborhoods Page.
Image from Olympia Coffee Roasting Co., less than a mile away, and very likely to become a regular destination for espresso and pastries.
Even closer to home is Kandle Park with its outdoor wave pool, tot pool, sprayground, playground, walking trails, community garden, and skate park. Downing Elementary stands across the street from home, right next door to Kandle Park. The school is about to be brand new! You’ll notice some construction where the new school building is underway; this is really exciting progress for the families in the neighborhood!
Aside from its proximity to Proctor, it’s really easy to reach downtown, the Ruston Way Waterfront, and even the Vashon Ferry from this corner lot.
To help you get familiar with how this house fits into the wider community, we’ve calculated the distance from the doorstep of 5022 N 26th St to 20 favorite Tacoma destinations within 1.5 miles. Take a look at the list below!
20 Favorite Local Destinations within 1.5 miles of Home
Image from Crudo & Cotto - Travel less than a mile from home for vibrant Italy- meets-PNW vibes.
Stop on the sidewalk for the seasonal front window displays, go in for puzzles, books, games, and baby gifts at Teaching Toys & Books.
Groceries & Shopping
Metropolitan Market: 0.8 miles
Safeway: 0.8 miles
Proctor Farmers’ Market: 0.8 miles
Compass Rose: 0.8 miles
Teaching Toys & Books: 0.8 miles
The Fernseed: 0.8 miles
GardenSphere: 1.3 miles
Parks, Activities & Schools
Downing Elementary School: 407 ft
Kandle Park & Pool: 0.2 miles
Blue Mouse Theatre: 0.8 miles
Mason Middle School: 0.8 miles
Wheelock Library: 0.9 miles
Puget Creek Natural Area: 1.1 mile
University of Puget Sound: 1.4 miles
Dining, Drinks & Treats
Olympia Coffee Roasting: 0.8 miles
Viva-Organic Vegan Cafe: 0.8 miles
Crudo & Cotto: 0.9 miles
Peaks & Pints: 1 mile
Rosewood Cafe: 1.1 miles
Brewers Row: 1.3 miles
More Information From the Listing Agent
Come see this North Tacoma Foursquare 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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