The City of Tacoma is considering whether to purchase the five-story, 122-year-old Old City Hall building in downtown Tacoma, City officials announced Thursday.
If a resolution is approved by Tacoma City Council next week, the City would acquire the building, located at 625 Commerce St., from Seattle-based The Stratford Co. for $4 million (plus closing costs), address the structure’s deteriorating condition, preserve its historic elements, and market the property for future development.
Old City Hall was built in 1893 and originally included the offices of the mayor and city council, municipal court, public library, and public utilities. It was then renovated in 1974 for commercial office use with some ground floor retail use, and sold in 2005 with plans for conversion to residential use. Those plans did not materialize and the building has been vacant for a number of years, suffering from neglect, flooding, and other damage, according to City officials.
“We’ve been working on this solution for almost a year, so I’m glad to see it come forward to the full Council for approval,” said Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland. “Gaining control of this beautiful historic icon allows us to properly preserve and market it for use in the near future.”
“Old City Hall, which served as the hub of our local government for 66 years, is currently in a state of disrepair, and addressing that will help enhance Tacoma’s economic development efforts,” added Tacoma City Manager T.C. Broadnax.
Tacoma City Council is scheduled to vote on the resolution during a public meeting at 5 p.m on Tues., June 2, at Tacoma City Hall, located at 747 Market St., in downtown Tacoma. Copies of the resolution, staff memo, and area map are available online here and here and here, respectively.
To read the Tacoma Daily Index‘s complete and comprehensive coverage of Old City Hall, click on the following links:
- Cause No. 10-2-06120-2 SHERIFF’S PUBLIC NOTICE OF SALE OF REAL (Tacoma Daily Index, April 15, 2015)
- Washington Trust seeks nominees for 2015 Most Endangered Historic Properties List (Tacoma Daily Index, Nov. 21, 2014)
- Tacoma Public Library offers Old City Hall Historic District walking tour (Tacoma Daily Index, June 12, 2014)
- Walk Tacoma series continues May 7 with historic architecture tour (Tacoma Daily Index, April 29, 2014)
- Tacoma honored for historic preservation legislation (Tacoma Daily Index, April 9, 2014)
- Year In Review: Historic Preservation Legislation (Tacoma Daily Index, Dec. 26, 2013)
- Building inspector’s report shows more work needed at ‘derelict’ Old City Hall (Tacoma Daily Index, January 19, 2012)
- Transient linked to Old City Hall fire (Tacoma Daily Index, January 6, 2012)
- Hope for Old City Hall? Historic Tacoma tours iconic, derelict building (Tacoma Daily Index, June 7, 2011)
- Inside Old City Hall (Tacoma Daily Index, May 26, 2011)
- Historic preservation group calls Tacoma’s Old City Hall ‘endangered’ (Tacoma Daily Index, May 24, 2011)
- More trouble for Old City Hall? (Tacoma Daily Index, March 28, 2011)
- Inspector’s report offers grim glimpse inside ‘derelict’ Old City Hall (Tacoma Daily Index, Jan. 4, 2011)
- Historic Buildings, Historic Recession: Questions for Old City Hall owner George Webb (Tacoma Daily Index, Dec. 17, 2010)
- Hope for Old City Hall? Building clean-up, foreclosure prevention efforts under way, says owner (Tacoma Daily Index, Dec. 14, 2010)
- Tacoma City Council to receive Old City Hall update Dec. 14 (Tacoma Daily Index, Dec. 10, 2010)
- Bank publishes notice to foreclose on Old City Hall; City to study public development authority for historic buildings (Tacoma Daily Index, December 9, 2010)
- Old City Hall for sale (Tacoma Daily Index, January 7, 2008)
- History Makers (Tacoma Daily Index, Nov. 21, 2006)
- City briefed on proposed changes to historic preservation ordinance (Tacoma Daily Index, Sept. 28, 2005)
- Wolfe Joins Tacoma Photo Studio (Tacoma Daily Index, Oct. 6, 1999)
The view from inside Old City Hall in downtown Tacoma. (FILE PHOTO BY TODD MATTHEWS)
The view from inside Old City Hall in downtown Tacoma. (FILE PHOTO BY TODD MATTHEWS)
A staircase inside Old City Hall in downtown Tacoma. (FILE PHOTO BY TODD MATTHEWS)
