Tacoma's Proctor District

When Allen C. Mason launched his Point Defiance line in the early 1890s, the Proctor area became one of Tacoma s first streetcar suburbs. Before this time, Tacoma s North End was a remote, unsettled region populated only by those visiting the city s horseracing track. After Mason established a streetcar stop at the intersection of North Twenty-sixth and Proctor Streets near the racetrack businesses began to line the thoroughfare. By 1900, houses had been constructed within walking distance of the line, and a residential neighborhood provided the impetus for the construction of schools, a firehouse, churches, and a library. By the 1920s, the neighborhood had expanded and changed to reflect the introduction of the automobile as well as the district s popularity with University of Puget Sound students studying nearby. The community spirit that emerged then continues to this day."