Open ½ hour before sunrise
Close ½ hour after sunset
This neighborhood park overlooks the Nalley Valley. Irving Park is 2.7 acres and was established in 1946.
Stortini Grove
A Beautiful Legacy for a Generous Family
Joe Stortini and his brother Ken study the new park sign during the public dedication of Stortini Grove in Irving Park.
On November 5, 2022, Parks Tacoma celebrated the dedication of Stortini Grove at Irving Park, an acknowledgement of the Stortini family’s years of generosity and contributions to the surrounding community.
A grove of fruit trees has been planted to honor this family and their legacy of bringing the community together. We’ve started in Fall 2022 with apple, peach, pear and cherry trees, and in Spring 2023 we intend to plant Italian plum trees. In time, those trees will provide nourishment for the local community – just like the Stortini family always has.
The Stortini Grove will also help Parks Tacoma add to our city’s tree canopy. Increasing that canopy will improve the health and wellbeing of everyone in this city through clean air, filtered stormwater, cooler summer temperatures, beauty and tranquility.
The Stortini family gathers at the dedication of Stortini Grove on Nov. 5, 2022.
Stortini Family & Irving Park History
Home to many Italian immigrant families in the early 1900s, this part of Hilltop was called Tacoma’s “Little Italy.”
In 1914, Joeseppi and Josephine Stortini immigrated to the United States and set up a home on Hosmer Street near this park. They were known for their hospitality, and their son Joe continued the tradition of serving the community as a teacher, coach, elected official and restaurateur.
After Washington Irving School was demolished in 1935, local children began playing on the vacant lot. In the 1940s, the Stortini family led the way for the land to become a park.
About the Park
-
Park History
-
Irving Park is named for and located on the site of the former Irving School. The school was established in 1890 but had reached such a state of disrepair that it was razed by the school district in 1935. The site lay vacant until 1946 when several individuals who lived near the site lobbied to have the School District sell the property to Parks Tacoma for use as a park.
On October 4, 1946 a perpetual easement for the consideration of $1 was agreed upon by the School and Park Boards transferring the site to the Park District.
In the early years of the park an active group called the Irving Playground Association raised money for improvements to the park. Visitation records indicate that 7,085 children attended the summer playground program at Irving Park in 1949. Three years later a special tax levy provided funds for the addition of a sprinkler system, top soil, grass seed, a small shelter, and a backstop and softball diamond. In 1954 the Irving Playground Association donated money for a volleyball court and in 1967 a wading pool and restroom building were constructed.
In 1966 plans for the construction of the Sprague exchange for Highway 16 and Interstate 5 called for a reduction in size of the park. The Park District worked with the highway department to preserve the park and make sure that it would still be accessible to the neighborhood following construction.
Throughout the 1970s Parks Tacoma continued to purchase small parcels of land to increase the size of the park. In a 1979 report to the Park Board from Director Glunberg wrote that the park is now “3.9 acres and contains a wading pool, recreation building with restrooms, play equipment, small court games area and softball field.”
*Irving School was named to honor American author Washington Irving.
-
Park Improvements
-
In 2012/2013 the wading pool and restrooms were removed, the fencing was replaced, the basketball court was repaved and enlarged, a new irrigation system was installed, and new picnic tables installed at the park.
In summer 2022, a grove of fruit trees was planted at Irving Park in honor of Joe Stortini and his family who played a pivotal role in advocating for the park space in 1946. In fall 2022, an interpretive sign and walking path was added to the park telling the story of the Stortinis, the park, and the new grove.