New three brick dormitory building of St. Ann's Orphan's Home under construction. In October of 1938, the Sisters of St. Francis purchased the J.S. Kemp estate at 6602 So. Alaska, overlooking Wapato Lake. They began to remodel the mansion to serve its new purpose as an orphanage. In addition, they constructed a new fireproof brick dormitory. In 1939, the social practice was changing from long term institutional care for orphans to a "receiving station" model. St. Ann's would offer short, intensive care while new foster homes were located for the children. Thirty years later, in 1968, the brick building was declared unsafe. A campaign was undertaken to raise $300,000 for a new facility. In 1971, both the original mansion and the dormitory were razed and replaced with modern structures. (T. Times 5/2/1939, pg. 2)
St. Ann's Home (Tacoma); Orphanages--Tacoma;