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TACOMAWEEKLY NEWS FREE • SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2019
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Because Community Matters.
HOLY ROSARY COMMUNITY WORKS TO SAVE ICONIC CHURCH
BY MATT NAGLE matt@tacomaweekly.com
A most iconic and historically significant Tacoma church is facing demolition. During mass this past Saturday, parishioners at Holy Rosary Church on South 30th Street were told that their be-
loved, nearly century-old church would be permanently closed and demolished due to unsafe conditions and a huge cost for repairs and maintenance. In a letter to congregants shared at the mass, Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain declared that the price tag to fully repair, restore and maintain Holy Rosary
is “simply unaffordable. Therefore, after a great deal of prayer and wide consultation, I have decided to issue a decree to close and raze the church building.” According to Sartain, more than 800 hours of time and consultant resources went into identifying a solution to restore the church. “The Archdiocese prepared six separate assessments to understand fully the situation,” he wrote. “Through that process, it became clear that the renovation cost to re-occupy the building and complete the required envelope repairs would be approximately $7 million. To make all required structural repairs, the total cost would be nearly $18 million.” Last year, a piece of ceiling fell into the choir loft, alerting church staff to a leak in the ceiling. Further investigation showed that more than a decade of deferred maintenance was to blame. During a preliminary assessment, it was found that the roof hadn’t been cleaned in some time and there was a build up of branches, leaves and debris clogging the church’s drainage system. While this
was corrected immediately, there is other damage to address. Sadly, next year would be the church’s 100th birthday. Holy Rosary Church was built on land purchased by settlers in Tacoma in the fall of 1890. The parish was established and a wooden church and school were built on the in the 1890s. Holy Rosary Church as it stands today, with its neo-Gothic architecture and 210-foot-high steeple, was rebuilt on the same site, and after seven years of construction opened in 1920 to serve the Catholic families of Tacoma. It is registered as one of Tacoma’s Historic Places and is currently listed as “threatened,” which is its most critical rating. CALL TO ACTION Parishioners, who have been forced to hold mass in the Holy Rosary Bilingual Academy school auditorium, aren’t taking the news lying down. They have until Sept. 9 to file an appeal. For the past six months, ef- u See CHURCH / page 4
NAMES FAMILY FOUNDATION PLEDGES $3 MILLION TO NEW FIRCREST COMMUNITY CENTER Local family’s gift follows $1 million pledge from the Edwards family
The Names Family Foundation, which has supported health and wellness projects in the region for many years, is pledging a $3 million gift to support the new Fircrest Pool and Community Center, the largest gift in the city’s history. The City of Fircrest is replacing the nearly 60-year-old pool and community center complex. The Fircrest-based Names Family Foundation’s gift is a huge boost to the city’s effort to raise $8.5 million in philanthropic gifts and public grants toward the $18 million project. The Names family announced the pledge on Aug. 17 during a community celebration of the existing pool’s history. The pool closed on Aug. 18, and the contractor is beginning to mobilize equipment for the 10-month project. “I am excited for the young people who will get to make their own childhood memories in Fircrest,” said Rick
Names, the Names Family Foundation’s Vice President. The foundation was started in 1996 by Sis and Scott Names, who ran the successful Scott’s Athletic Equipment store in Lakewood for 42 years. Their family’s mission is to enrich the community by awarding grants to organizations that emphasize health, wellness, and physical education in the Tacoma and Pierce County area. Five generations of the Names family have grown up in Fircrest and they have fond memories of participating in classes and sports at the community center, swimming at the pool, and enjoying their youth at Fircrest Park. “Fircrest will always have a special place in my heart, and I am truly excited to see what the future looks like for the city,” said Monica Names King, a granddaughter of the founders and secretary of the foundation. Added Paula Larkin, a founda- u See FIRCREST / page 5
ARC ARCHITECTS
The City of Fircrest is replacing the nearly 60-year-old pool and community center complex. The Names Family Foundation pledge is the largest gift in the city’s history.