BREMERTON HISTORIC SITES WALKING TOUR

Bremerton School District No. 42 separated from the Charleston District in 1893, and the school building was built through the generosity of the early pioneers, on what is now Fourth Street.

The Norwegian Lutherans built Bremerton’s first church structure on the northwest corner of Fourth and Washington in 1893.  Methodist, Baptist and Episcopal groups initially rented and held services in this building. 

Catholic services were first held in homes and then in the Fourth Street schoolhouse, until they built on the northwest corner of Fifth and Washington Avenue in 1902. Bremerton was incorporated as a city in 1901, and by the 1910 census the population was 2,993 citizens.

The sale of the Navy yard site by Mr. Bremer to the government at its asking price, which was one-half of the price paid to the original owner, the erection and maintenance of a large and substantial wharf, the donation of the school house site, the encouragement of the church people by gifts of church sites, the steadfast faith of the founder during the dark days of financial and commercial depression, and his upright conduct and courteous treatment, have contributed in no small degree to the magnificent and phenomenal growth of his town.

Bremerton annexed Manette, its neighbor across Port Washington Narrows to the east, in 1918, and absorbed Charleston to the south in 1927.  That, along with the growth due to the war efforts brought the population to 10,170 by 1930.  It peaked at 80,000 during WWII, but currently maintains half that number.

(2) Roxy Theatre, 270 Fourth Street, opened May 29, 1941.

Originally owned by Benjamin F. Shearer, the Art Moderne, single-screen theatre, was designed by Bjarne Moe, one of the Pacific coast’s foremost theater architects.  The auditorium is has a large cove-lit dome in the ceiling. The decorations and lighting are simple late Art Deco. The baseboards around all the walls are red marble. There are many old photos of the shipyard and various vessels adorning the walls in the lobby and the restroom lounges in keeping with the location of the theater and the importance of the Navy to Bremerton. The lower lobby still displays its original 35-foot photomural of Bremerton and the Navy yard taken in 1908 by pioneer northwest photographer Asahel Curtis.  It is of Pacific Fleet armored cruisers (not the Great White Fleet) Washington, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Maryland, South Dakota, California, Colorado and West Virginia. It also includes the unarmored cruisers Milwaukee, Charleston and St. Louis. During the mid-1980s, the Roxy was owned by Tom Moyer’s Luxury Theaters of Portland Oregon. It was then purchased by a local welding contractor, who had visions of restoring the building as a combined movie and performing arts house. The cost of renovation was more than the owner could afford so he sold it to Calvary Chapel Bremerton.  Sound West Group eventually purchased the fading building and the Roxy Theatre Foundation was formed and the theater was restored and reopened in 2017. In 2023, the Roxy Theatre Foundation purchased the building outright and continues to operate as a theater and event space.

(4) Elks Temple & Lodge #1181, 285 Fifth Street, dedicated March 19, 1921.

The cornerstone was laid in March 1920, after member S.F. Hoffmandonated $18,000 to  purchase the property for a new structure. It was estimated the new Art Deco building would cost $125,000. Willard A. Parker built the new Elks building. It was dedicated March 19, 1921.  In 1946 a commercial addition was built on Pacific Avenue with Payless occupying the space for many years. In Harry Truman’s 1948 speech from the balcony above Payless Drugstore, Ken Banach and Jack Napper claimed that they were the first to yell out the “Give ‘em hell” phrase which became Trueman’s iconic campaign slogan. They were among the thousands on Pacific Avenue as Truman spoke. The downstairs lounge hosted dances, weddings, and other formal occasions, and was “the” social center for the movers and shakers of Bremerton. The lounge was dominated by a transparent color photographic mural of the Grey Wolf Range in the Olympic Mountains photographed by Asahel Curtis. The photograph was moved to the new Elks facility on Pine Road in December 1977. This building is currently the Max Hale Center

(6) Kitsap Regional Library, Bremerton Branch, Martin Luther King Memorial Building, 612 Fifth Street, built in 1938. Bremerton Public Library opened its doors in 1908, above the city’s horse stables. To escape the objectionable odors, the library was moved to the second floor of the First National Bank in 1913.  Having outgrown the bank location, it relocated in 1919 to the Sunday school room at the back of the Methodist Church.  Another move followed to its present location, the former Norwegian Free Lutheran Church. In 1925, Bremerton was thriving and had again outgrown its library, so planning started for a new facility.  Thanks to nearly $50,000 from the New Deal Works Progress Administration (WPA), local taxes and other monies, the new Art Deco library opened on August 1, 1938. The exterior was painted in an ivory and tan color scheme, lighting was enhanced by the skylight overhead, and building temperature was controlled by an automatic oil furnace and partial air-conditioning.  In 1955 it merged with the Kitsap County Library and served as headquarters for the Kitsap Regional Library. In September, 2005, the library closed for a seven-month renovation.  Thanks to over $400,000 in city, county, federal and Gates Foundation funds, it reopened on April 7, 2006, with new windows, carpeting, fresh paint and a new main-floor bathroom.

(8) U.S. Post Office, Sixth & Pacific, built 1937.

Until the mid-1930s, the post office building in Bremerton had existed without government aid. As the city grew, the need for more services became apparent. In 1935, the Federal Government purchased the property for the present site from the William Bremer estate and T.O. Buffington. The cornerstone was laid in April 1937, and the post office opened for business later that year.  FDR’s New Deal Art Project commissioned the 24-foot mural by Ernest Norling that still adorns the wall in the lobby.  Kitsap County Historical Society restored the painting in 1995 with donations from community members.

(10) Eagles Aerie # 192, 205 Sixth Street, opened July 4, 1941. Aerie # 192 was chartered December 1901, two months after Bremerton’s incorporation. William Moffett, first president, with officers, and 92 members met in Paul Mehner’s tailor shop. In later years meetings were in the U.S. Furniture Building on Pacific Avenue beside the Admiral Theatre.  The present location is a two-story building with reinforced concrete walls and brick veneer facing on the north and east sides.  It was constructed in 1941 by Sam Linden Construction Company.  The interior is plaster, wood paneling, padded plastic and brick.  The 6,536 square-foot main floor is entered from Sixth Street, up a flight of stairs onto a terrace and into the entrance lobby, which leads to the lodge hall, office and meeting room, check room, and bathrooms.  The lobby also leads to the 7,382 square-foot lower floor, containing a bar area, card room, trustees room, dining hall, kitchen and check room.  Photo courtesy Stephenie Roe.

(12) Building 50, Puget Sound Navy Museum, First & Pacific, was built in 1896. Designed by the Seattle architectural firm of Chamberlain & Siebrand, it was started in 1893, and completed in 1896 at the cost of $7,900.  This 10,000 square foot, neo-classically styled, wood framed, hipped roof structure is in three stories with beveled wood siding.  The main entry has four Ionic columns with pediments above.   Building 50 served as headquarters for the naval station during the shipyard’s initial period of development.  From 1891 to 1906 it housed the offices of the commandant.  It was moved from the hilltop overlooking the waterfront in 1911 to make room for the excavation for Drydock-2, and used temporarily as the dispensary.  From 1920 to 1933 it was used by the Shipyard Chemists and housed the Apprentice School.  In 1939 it was moved again to make room for Drydock-5.  It was painted in camouflage during WWII and housed the offices of the Salute, Legal Aid, and the Gas Rations Board.  It was painted white again after WWII and housed various shipyard offices.  During the Korean Conflict, it was painted battleship gray.  In 1990 it was occupied by the Commander of Submarine Pacific representative, the Air Pacific representative, and the shipyard pilot’s office.  October 9, 2004, a fourth move brought it outside the Navy base and to another function as the home of Puget Sound Navy Museum. Photo courtesy Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

The Dietz building on Pacific Ave, The building was built in 1915. It was named for Charles Dietz,an early developer and banker in Bremerton, who died in 1910. It was built on his property. He settled in Charleston first in 1892, then moved to Bremerton in 1898. He built the Dietz Hotel in Bremerton in 1898. He came from the same area in Germany as William Bremer, and his brother-in-law, Mr. Henry Hensel.

This building had the first elevator in Bremerton. One of the first tenants in this building was important Bremerton attorney, Marion Garland. In 1916 the B.P.O.E. 1802 moved from a location in the Harlow building on Washington Ave. to this location, and were located on the 3rd floor. They were here until the mid 20’s when their new lodge was built farther to the north on Pacific Ave. It’s been said that there was also a brothel in the Dietz bldg., but no proof. Oldberg Drugs was located on the corner of the Dietz building as early as 1936 until 1976 when Booth’s Drugs moved from across the street and replaced it.

The Soriano Building, This building started life as the Harrison Building, being built in 1912 by Benjamin Harrison. He was a successful hardware store owner. The Harrison building was erected on property at Fourth and Pacific that he purchased in 1912 for $18K. The name “Harrison” was given to the local hospital that Benjamin and his wife, Angie worked to establish and fund.

The Soriano family were hard-working brothers who immigrated to this area from the Isle of Rhodes. Morris came to Bremerton from Seattle in 1918 to manage the produce section in Glade’s Market on Fourth St. In 1921, his brother Isaac followed and managed the produce department in Frye’s Market. They worked hard and pooled the resources to purchase the Frye Market Building on Burwell & Pacific, and transformed it into one of Bremerton’s most modern structures. In 1955 they closed the grocery store, and opened Soriano Real Estate. They purchased the Harrison Building and renamed it the Soriano Building.

An early medical practice in the building was that of Dr. Holmes. He opened Bremerton Drug in that location in 1913. Also in this building in 1917-18 was the Harrison-Schaffer Furniture Co. Other tenants included Harry J ertson, music teacher in Suite #9 along with Maude & Krievner Gatterdam. Dr. Elmer Smythe was in rooms 2-4 of the Harrison Building. Dr. Nathan Wood was in Suite #28, along with Optician Henry LaMotte.

References:

Kitsap County: A History, A story of Kitsap County and Its Pioneers, compiled by Kitsap County Historical Society Book Committee, 1977, 1981, 2012

Jean Lenihan, Interview, September 2006

Bremerton and Puget Sound Navy Yard, by Fredi Perry, 2002

Bremerton Sun, May 17, 1974

Manette Pioneering, by Manette History Club, 1988

The Way It Was In Kitsap Schools, Kitsap County Retired Teachers, 1977

All photos are courtesy of Kitsap History Museum, except as noted.

 

Compiled 2006 by the Historic Sites Committee to benefit Kitsap History Museum

280 4th Street, Bremerton, WA 98337

(360) 479-6226 www.kitsapmuseum.org