August Fort News
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Fort Nisqually restoration project improves accessibility and preserves historic buildings
Parks Tacoma is restoring four historic buildings at Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, improving accessibility and strengthening aging structures to preserve the museum for future generations.
The project focuses on the museum’s kitchen and sale shop and two bastions, addressing structural needs while making key interpretive spaces more accessible for visitors.
Originally reconstructed in the 1930s through Depression-era public works programs, these buildings have helped generations of visitors experience what life was like at Fort Nisqually during the 1850s.
Restoration work includes
Accessibility improvements to the kitchen and sale shop:
Both buildings currently rest on timber foundations, with stairs required to enter. To create step-free entrances and improve wheelchair accessibility, contractors will temporarily support and lift each building, remove the existing wood foundations and install new concrete foundations at grade level where stairs will no longer be needed.
Building longevity improvements:
The kitchen and sale shop will be anchored to new concrete foundations to improve structural stability, with chimneys reconstructed and reinforced with steel flues. Both buildings will also receive new siding, roof shingles and gutters, along with restored or replaced windows and doors. The bastions will receive new roof shingles. Each of these improvements will enhance weather protection and extend the lifespan of all four buildings.
Existing stairs at the Kitchen and Sale Shop present barriers for visitors with mobility challenges. As part of the restoration, both buildings will receive new concrete foundations and step-free entrances, allowing more visitors to experience Fort Nisqually’s living history.
What visitors can expect during construction
Construction will begin mid-October and is expected to be completed by spring 2027. During this time, the kitchen, sale shop and both bastions will be temporarily closed to visitors.
To accommodate construction, contractors will temporarily remove sections of the Fort’s palisade walls, allowing access to the buildings undergoing restoration. Visitors may be able to see portions of the construction work in progress while exploring other areas of the museum, offering a glimpse into the efforts underway to preserve the Fort’s historic structures.
For more information about Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, upcoming events and visitor opportunities, visit FortNisqually.org. For more information about the project, please click here.
