Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Pavilion, Recreation |
Other Name |
Concession Stand |
Collection |
Metro Parks Tacoma - Permanent Collection |
Date |
1937 |
Description |
Concession building at Owen Beach. The structure was built as a bathhouse and concession stand by Works Progress Administration, circa 1937, as part of a major work program in the park. The structure was renovated circa 1970 to accomodate staff offices, though most of the interior space was left unaltered until it was remodeled in 2022. The concession stand is a single-story wood frame, shingle building with a gabled center and two hipped-roof wings extending out from either side. Owen Beach (so named in 1959), underwent extensive work in 1957 when fill was brought in, to fill in the gulch leading out to the beach, and the parking area was paved over the next few years. A retaining wall and improvements were added in the early 1960s. A restroom was built there at the same time as one was added to the Fort Nisqually site, c. 1964. The WPA had built a covered picnic kitchen at the beach in 1937, and a concession/ bathhouse as well. The covered picnic shelter was removed, but the concession/bathhouse building today retains the exterior character of the original WPA structure though it has been modified, most recently as part of the 2021-2022 Owen Beach improvements. Today it is used as a kayak rental stand. |
Location |
Point Defiance Park |
Object Number |
PDP-025 |
Web link |
Metro Parks Tacoma, Point Defiance Park |