You may not know this historical home is a public park. Is it about to be demolished?
A historical home on Sumner’s Main Street might disappear soon.
The Sumner City Council is expected to decide 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 18, during the city council meeting if the Ryan House at 1228 Main St. should be demolished. The meeting will happen at 1104 Maple St., and it’ll be streamed virtually at sumnerwa-gov.zoom.us/j/83037506011.
There will be a public comment period during the meeting. Those who can’t attend can submit their comment via email no later than 5:30 p.m. that day to the city clerk at michellec@sumnerwa.gov.
The city took ownership of the house nearly 100 years ago. It served as the city’s post office, town hall, library and museum.
Lucy Ryan and George Ryan used to live in the house, which was built around the 1850s. The Ryans had five children. George Ryan was Sumner’s first mayor in 1891. The deed states nothing can be built on the property if the house is demolished. The space must remain open and accessible to the community.
The house was supposed to undergo renovations. The News Tribune reported in February 2022 that the city planned to construct multiple ADA-accessible doors and install a new HVAC system, among other things. With the renovation work, the city hoped to open the house to the public as much as possible. Before the pandemic, the house was generally open 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays during summer months and around the holidays.
The city secured over $1 million in grants to renovate the house, according to the city’s website. The grants came from the Port of Tacoma, Pierce County Lodging Tax and the state’s Heritage Capital Projects Fund.
Issues came to light when inspectors assessed the house. City spokesperson Carmen Palmer said the needs of the house outpaced the money the city had for the project.
The roof is sagging. Some walls on the first floor were missing a beam to support the floor above. When ceiling tiles were removed on the first floor, it was apparent the second floor wasn’t attached to anything.
The second floor had tongue and groove flooring. The floorboards were made to fit together like puzzle pieces. If a few floorboards are removed — without a brace or structure under it — the floor collapses.
“We did not find what we expected to find,” Palmer said.
City staff presented council members with four options during a Sept. 11 study session. The first option preserves the house. The second option preserves a part of it. The last two options involve demolishing it.
The first option could cost about $2.2 million. The house would undergo a full rehabilitation. Palmer said the price tag may keep rising, and that it’d be “foolish” to assume otherwise. The extra money could come from the city’s general fund.
The second option could cost about $1.26 million. A wing with a kitchen area and a wing that used to be the original cabin on the property would be demolished. The main farmhouse would undergo renovations.
The third option could cost about $600,000. The house would be demolished, and the space would turn into a park with some amenities yet to be determined.
The fourth option could cost about $100,000. The house would be demolished, and the space would turn into an open park.
The city must return the grants it received if it chooses the third or fourth option. The city’s finance committee prefers options three and four.
The items inside the house belong to the Sumner Historical Society. It’s up to that group to decide where the items will go, Palmer said. The house could be demolished as soon as November.
Sumner Historical Society President Dale Loseth wrote in an email that the items in the house are in storage. The items include photographs, scrapbooks and business records.
Loseth said the group sent a letter to the city council members, recommending the second option out of the four.
Part of the group’s letter reads: “Demo the cabin and kitchen, keep the 1878 house as a place for public use. A place for local clubs and organizations to hold meetings. Make it a visitors center. If a museum is still wanted, the Sumner Historical Society could help with that.”
Council member Patrick Reed said during the study session that he agrees it’s more fiscally responsible to take down the house, and that the demolition may be a “big surprise” to residents.
“I see this being a very difficult one for the city to navigate,” Reed said during the study session.
Council member Barbara Bitetto said during the study session that the situation might be different if the house had undergone renovations 20 or 30 years ago.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with a response from the president of the Sumner Historical Society.
This story was originally published September 17, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
