A developer who purchased the 93-year-old former Elks Temple in downtown Tacoma in hopes of renovating it has announced it has put the building up for sale.
The building and a vacant parcel of adjacent land is being listed with NAI Puget Sound Properties for $5 million. An affiliate company of developer Williams & Dame originally spent approximately $4.25 million for both properties, according to the Pierce County assessor’s office.
The Portland, Ore.-based developers purchased the building in March 2007, and were reportedly interested in building on the adjacent lot and refurbishing the lodge for various entertainment, retail, or office uses.
Last April, the City of Tacoma Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved a request aimed to protect the long-vacant and abandoned building from trespassers and vandals, and demolish two small, non-heritage additions to the building to make way for future renovation and development.
Though not listed on any local or national historic registers, the building lies within the Old City Hall Historic District.
The former Elks Temple is the second 90-plus-year-old building within the district to be put up for sale this year.
In January, Seattle-based Stratford Company LLC announced it was putting Old City Hall up for sale. Developers had initially planned to renovate into upscale condominiums and, later, Class A office space.
Stratford purchased the 115-year-old Italian Renaissance building in May 2005 for $3.76 million, and planned to convert it into a 48-unit condominium complex. In late-2005 and early-2006, all but two of the businesses that occupied the building had moved out.
In August 2007, however, Stratford announced it would convert the building into historic Class A office space. The building once served as an indoor bazaar for small vendors. In January, it listed the building for sale at $6.95 million.