News from San Juan Island's Bed and Breakfast - Tucker House

As the town is preparing for its Centennial next year, the Town of Friday Harbor is busy researching and inventorying all the old houses. Last week, I received a copy of the wedding picture of Clarence and Marie Tucker dated December 23, 1900. I am excited to track down the originals that are known to still be on the Island. I also received a close up photo of the Tucker House. I presume it was taken shortly after it was built - 1898. The photo shows a white pickett fence that circled the entire block. Looking up the hill, what is now the upper Tucker House is nothing but an empty field and across the property, where the Harrison House currently stands is also baron. The only other house shown in the photo which is still standing is the private residence on the corner of Harrison and Wabass. It is always interesting to learn more about these great old houses.....if these walls could only talk.

New Restaurant Friday Harbor - Coho San Juan Island

Dave and I will be expanding the culinary offerings of the Inns with a restaurant opening up in early April called Coho. It is 2 blocks from the Inn at 120 Nichols Street. We will feature local and regional ingredients from the Pacific Northwest with a bit of an international twist. Our wine list will cull the best wines from Oregon, California, Washington and British Columbia as well as the great wines of Europe, South America, South Africa, and Australia. We are really excited to provide our guests with an evening dining option so convenient to the Inns. Here is our cool new logo. Check out the Coho website starting early April to keep track of our seasonal offerings.

Spring Is Here Update - Lodging San Juan Islands, Washington

The Island is lovely this time of year. The grass is that bright spring green, the cherry trees have just popped their buds, and the tulips and daffodils are just beginning to open. Our first cut of the lawn is this weekend. This is a sign that we need to hurry up and finish our winter projects so we can play out in the gardens and begin to welcome all the guests that come to the Islands for spring break. We have just a few loose ends to finish up. We just completed a new bathroom renovation and outdoor deck for the Log Cabin Cottage. Our appliance delivery is Friday and then we can finish up our two kitchen projects. We have already started the seeds in the greenhouse for herbs, flowers, and vegetables for the Inn. Our guests this weekend are out on the water kayaking, bicycling to the vineyards, and hiking down at American Camp. Check our our spring specials and consider a trip to the Islands.

Tucker House Projects - San Juan Islands, WA

This week we started what seemed like a simple project - retiling the main Tucker House kitchen. Well it snowballed into a much larger kitchen renovation. We were designing on the fly. We kept asking each other what if? So we moved the vent. What if? We dry walled over a door that we no longer use. What if? We moved the range to another wall. What if? We took out the florescent lights and rewired for new lights. What if? We got rid of the wall paper . What if? We took out the byfold closet doors between the parlor which is now my office. We will finish the dry wall this week and will paint the walls a wonderful red called strawberry fields on Friday. The finished product is going to be so much more utilitarian for guests. We use the living room for receptions and formal dinners and the new kitchen is going to provide a much better flow. Here is a picture of the tiling in action.

Accommodations San Juan Island - Update

The new birch hardwood floors in Victoria's Flower Garden look great. Two rooms are complete and we are working on the flooring for the second bedroom and kitchen this week. We are in the process of designing the kitchen and selecting new tile for the back bathroom. Once we finish the floors, we will start installing the kitchen. This has been quite a transformation and we are looking forward to sharing the pictures soon.

Friday Harbor Hotels - Winter and Holiday Getaways

As the days begin to get colder and shorter, we are beginning to prepare for winter. One of our winter projects include a renovation to Victoria's Flower Garden. We are installing new hardwood floors and a kitchen in the suite in early November. This is a fabulous - 2 bedroom 2 bath suite with a living room that has all the architectural features of the 110 year old Victorian House. We will post new pictures of the suite by Thanksgiving. The Tucker House will remain open all winter to welcome guests. The guest rooms in the upper house with their 2 person jacuzzi tubs and fire places are perfect for retreat from cold winter days. We are offering several great specials. Check out our web site and we'll hope to see you soon.

Tucker House Neighborhood -1905

Here is a picture of Friday Harbor taken in 1905. You can see the historic Tucker House and the Harrison House.
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Tucker Family News!

In preparation for the Town of Friday Harbor's centennial in 2008, the historical committee is hard at work researching the Town's historic buildings. Today's Tucker House is comprised of two historic homes - the 1898 house owned by Clarence Tucker and the 1900-1910 house owned by the Joy family. We shared some news clippings with the historic committee and they located William Grant Tucker IV, Grandma Tucker’s great-great-grandson. He lives in Rhode Island. He says his father, about to turn 86, has visited Friday Harbor and went to the cemetery to visit Grandma Tucker. He also told the committee that one of the stained glass windows in the Valley Church was donated by Clarence Tucker and his wife (don’t know which wife yet – Marie Jensen or the one before her.) As the exciting history of these two houses and the families unfold, we will keep you posted.

Tucker House Gets New Color Scheme

The Tucker House received a new face lift this summer with a new exterior color scheme. We chose historical colors complementary to our neighbor Inn the Harrison House. After the major interior renovations that were undertaken during the winter of 2006-2007, the Tucker Houses have been restored to their century-old opulence.