Construction of new Clerk’s House at Fort Nisqually Living History Museum will upgrade operations and enhance immersive experience

Construction is about to begin at the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum in Point Defiance Park. The project will fully replace the existing Clerk’s House building with one designed to enhance the museum’s historical immersion for visitors and provide a more effective operations base to support staff and the Fort’s nearly 200 volunteers.

The current Clerk’s House, which will be replaced by a historically accurate 2,750-sq.-ft. reconstruction.

The project starts on Tuesday, May 27, and is expected to take nine months to complete.

Built in 1935, the current Clerk’s House received several patchwork additions and modifications over the decades, negatively impacting its historical integrity and leading to increased maintenance and operational costs. An assessment performed in 2018 determined that the external walls and internal structures were compromised and needed replacement.

The new construction will provide climate-controlled workspace and storage to maintain the museum’s clothing collections, tools and program supplies. Staff and volunteers will have access to a break room with a small kitchen, restrooms with showers and dressing rooms for men and women, as well as a staging area for events.

The nearly $2 million project is being funded by the 2014 voter-approved bond funding and a Washington State Heritage Capital Project grant.

“This capital improvement project will provide an upgraded facility allowing our staff and volunteers to better engage with our community and the diverse regional audience who come to Fort Nisqually to learn about our past and find ways to incorporate this learning into their future,” said Jim Lauderdale, the museum supervisor.

Rendering of the new Clerk’s House, which will provide additional space for staff and volunteers.

In addition to improving operating space for the Fort’s nearly 200 volunteer interpreters, the exterior will enhance the visitor experience. While the building is not open to the public, the designs for the visible exterior were created using references from the original Fort Nisqually’s historical documents, better reflecting the Clerk’s House to descriptions of the original 1800’s structure.

“We are excited to bring this new addition to Fort Nisqually to honor the historical significance of the Clerk’s House and its place at the museum, and most importantly, providing a facility to care for the volunteers who bring the museum to life,” said Joe Brady, deputy director of regional parks and attractions.

Fort Nisqually Living History Museum will remain open during construction with no impact to programming. Visitors can expect to see opaque fencing on the grounds and will be able to hear project construction during normal hours of operation Monday to Friday.

Beginning on May 27, visitors traveling to the museum by vehicle will have to enter Point Defiance Park through the Mildred Street entrance due to road closures stemming from the construction of Loop Trail near the Pearl Street entrance.

About Fort Nisqually Living History Museum

Located in Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park, Fort Nisqually Living History Museum is an immersive recreation of the original Hudson’s Bay Company outpost on Puget Sound. Visitors experience daily life during the 1850s with the help of interpreters dressed in period-accurate clothing. Seven buildings are open to the public, including two original structures restored on site and recognized as National Historic Landmarks. There is also a visitor center with a museum store featuring hand-crafted items made by the Fort’s different guilds. The Fort is an attraction owned and operated by Parks Tacoma.