SUMNER, Wash. — A judge ruled against the City of Sumner Wednesday, stating the historic Ryan House can't be demolished.
The issue was sent to a Pierce County Superior Court judge when a group of Sumner residents sued the city for changing plans for the house from rehabilitation to demolition. The judge ruled in favor of the residents, stating that sufficient notice was not given to the public when the plans changed.
Nick Biermann, a resident who was part of a lawsuit, didn’t grow up in Sumner but knows plenty of stories about the Ryan House, which stands at the corner of Main Street and Sumner Avenue after more than 100 years.
“Many people talk about how they spent time as a child at the library, and the floors would creak, and the librarian would shush them, and tell stories about what it was like being there after school,” he said.
The Ryan House was originally built in 1865, making it Sumner’s oldest structure.
The property was later gifted to the city in 1926 in honor of Lucy V. Ryan, with strict instructions on how the land should be used.
“The deed asked for it to be a public park,” said Carmen Palmer, the city's communications director. “Now it acknowledged that there was a building on it, and it allowed the city to use the building for at least five years and then tear it down. We didn’t get around to it.”
Instead, the house would become the city’s library in 1931 for 50 years and housed the Sumner Historical Society for another 40 years after that.
The previously issued demolition permit for the Ryan House has now been revoked.
In a statement to KING 5, the City of Sumner said it does not agree with the ruling, but will accept it.
"[The judge] has asked us to update our Comprehensive Plan before demolition and that update process is already underway, including updating the portion on Sumner’s history and culture. Opportunities are coming up for the public to add their thoughts. While we’re sure we’ll hear quite a bit of opinion about the future of the Ryan House, this is also an opportunity to comment on how we honor and celebrate Sumner’s history and culture as a whole. At the end of this process, the house can only be saved if the city receives funding to effectively repair significant structural issues that remain a major challenge. No matter the future of the house itself, it’s important to note that the land remains Lucy V. Ryan Park, honoring the woman for whom it was donated in 1926."
Before the ruling, Palmer said the decision to tear down the house was difficult, but after trying to salvage it, the city learned it was too costly to save. She said the city was at least $1 million short of fixing the house enough to make it safe.
But Biermann hopes city leaders and residents can find a way to keep the house standing for future generations.
“If the house is torn down, Sumner loses a piece of its story,” he said. “If we take the time to work together, and find different funding options, we can put them into a complete package that could do the work.”