Chances are you’ve had a memorable meal while getting lost in the stunning view of the Tacoma Narrows bridges, perfectly framed like art by Mike and Marsha Ebert’s dining room windows. Maybe you’ve been there washing dishes or stirring pots of creamy clam chowder and serving crispy fish and chips.
If you’ve lived in the South Sound area for the past 30 years or so, you’ve likely dined, or even worked, at Steamer’s Seafood Café at Tacoma’s Titlow Beach. The beloved waterfront favorite closed in 2021 and since has been transformed into the Eberts’ private home.
The evolution of this unique property has been a full circle of events created by outside forces, kind of like the push and pull of the Puget Sound tides outside the door of this home.
The Eberts purchased the property and the derelict building that once stood there in 1984. Their intent was to build a home, but the city of Tacoma had other plans.
“The city approached me and asked if I would consider building another waterfront restaurant instead of my home,” Mike Ebert said. It wasn’t a crazy ask. Ebert and Jack Hilger already had built Katie Downs on Tacoma’s Ruston Way
in 1981. “Katherine Downs was my Irish grandmother, so we named the tavern Katie Downs Waterfront Tavern,” he said.
An Outside Look
The city had been awarded $3 million to develop a scuba/marine pier.A restaurant seemed like the perfect fit. Ebert agreed, and after about seven years (due to shoreline permitting and hearings), Steamer’s Seafood Café and Titlow Pier opened in early 1991.
For years, the Steamer’s business was a family favorite and kept going strong until 2021, when suddenly the news of its closing was announced by parent company E3 Restaurant Co. The gist of that announcement was that the landlord decided not to renew the lease.
That’s because the property lost all 44 parking stalls in May 2021. “No parking, no restaurant,” Ebert said.
Few knew that BNSF Railway had reclaimed the restaurants’ parking lots under eminent domain for its new Quiet Zone 6th Avenue Grade Crossing Improvement Project. The $4.5 million project is several years in the making. It will eliminate the need for trains to blare horns through that crossing and others in the city. The parking stalls at Titlow were needed to upgrade the crossing closures, which will be more robust.
The Eberts, who were living in California at the time and raising almonds, now had an empty restaurant building in Tacoma with no parking and the prettiest panoramic views. And like the changing tides, they returned to build that house they were going to build once upon a time. That would not be easy.
Bed & Bath
“The city’s land use and Washington State Department of Ecology fast-tracked shoreline permits, changing the use to ‘single-family residential’ with the specific condition that the footprint of the building must remain exactly the same, and there must be a 50-foot marine buffer zone planted to native marine plantings,” Ebert said. “The building was 4,215 square feet and remains 4,215 square feet.”
Renovations began on Aug. 1, 2022, and it was a challenge for everyone involved. How do you turn a shell of a restaurant into a cozy family home?
The Eberts relied on the expertise of Jim and Mike Meyers of Mountain
Construction, who were the general contractors back when he built Steamer’s as a restaurant in 1991. “They are (usually) a commercial building construction company, but after seeing the plans and project, Jim and Mike said, ‘This is special. It’s one of a kind,’ and they took on the project,” Mike Ebert said.
As Marsha walked around the home, she shared fun facts, like, “This strange corner is where the pay phone once was,” and,“This was the employees’ bathroom, and over there was Mike’s office.”
Living Room & Kitchen
Now Steamer’s is a stunning three-bedroom, 3 1⁄2-bath home and very bright, thanks to huge windows that capture views in every direction, from the snowcapped Olympics, Fox Island, and the iconic Tacoma Narrows bridges.
The former restaurant dining room is now a large dining and living space for a family, thanks to an open floor plan. There is a cozy fireplace and bedrooms and bathrooms on the main floor, too. The large tinted three-paned window sliding doors open to a deck that connects to the Titlow Pier and the walking trails to Titlow Park. Their dog, Ollie, has made many furry friends during walks.
The home has permeable pavers and surfaces outside, and a marine buffer zone featuring 300 native marine plants and trees. It has a TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin) roof that reflects heat rather than absorbing it, a solar energy system, new plumbing, and several energy-efficient additions.
It has history and heart, and it’s one of a kind. At press time, it was listed for $2.57 million. Like the blustery dark storms that give way to the sun, the home is ready to welcome its new owners.
Architect:RGA, Jeanne Ratcliffe, Gig Harbor
Engineering: Terry Nettles, PE, Gig Harbor
Legal: Al Wallace, Williams Kastner, Seattle
Landscape Architect: ARW Landscape Design, Amy Wolfe, University Place
General Contractor: Mountain Construction, Jim and Mike Meyer, Tacoma
Plumbing:Tacoma Plumbing, Todd Stakset, Tacoma
Electrical: Electric Systems, Steve Curnow, Tacoma
HVAC: Narrows Heating, Tacoma
Painting: Sullivan Commercial Painting, Ally Sullivan, Lakewood
Kitchen & Bath: Kitchen and Bath Design Studio, Shiela Off, Tacoma
Flooring & Tile: David’s Showcase Floors, Dave Beardemphl, Tacoma
Landscaping: Nasim Landscape, Puyallup
Real Estate Agent: Anne Watkins, Morrison House Sotheby’s International Realty. servingthesound.com, Gig Harbor
