McNeil Island Historical Society
a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity
Views From the Past
Nomination
to the
National Register of Historic Places
This page is presented in support of the nomination of a McNeil Island site to the register. The nomination is currently in process.
Warden's Residence, #505
1932 eclectic French Renaissance brick mansion designed by the Architectural firm "Heath, Gove & Bell," of Tacoma, WA. Built as the personal home for McNeil Penitentiary's 5th Warden, Finch R. Archer, who was appointed in 1922 by the State Attorney General, at the behest of Sen. Wesley L. Jones. Archer served as Warden until 1934, four years after the formation of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Archer was very progressive, believing in rehabilitation, so he had Gove design a four-car carriage house with an apartment above it, specifically for the use of convict houseboys at the Warden's Residence.