Winthrop repairs mean no evacuations

The Tacoma Fire Department reported Friday that the management of the Winthrop Apartments has taken prudent action and made significant progress in repairing the safety hazards found in the Winthrop Apartments during the Dec. 7 and Dec. 8 Tacoma CARES inspection.

The priority electrical repairs have been completed and approved and corridor sealing has begun. Work will continue over the next week to complete the safety repairs. The work is scheduled to be completed by Dec. 24. A round-the-clock fire watch will continue inside the building until the repairs are complete.

There are no plans for evacuation of the Winthrop Apartments. Residents will be able to continue living in the building while the rest of the repair work is completed and approved.

A fire drill was performed Friday at the Winthrop in which the residents, with only a few exceptions, successfully and swiftly vacated the building. There will be follow-up with the few residents that failed to successfully vacate the building.

The Tacoma Fire Department praised the ownership and management and tenants of the Winthrop for their cooperation and their swift action to effect repairs of the unsafe conditions found in the inspections.

The Winthrop Hotel in downtown Tacoma. (FILE PHOTO BY TODD MATTHEWS)

To read the Tacoma Daily Index‘s complete and comprehensive coverage of the Winthrop Hotel, click on the following links:

A Building on the Brink: Add nuisance report, falling debris to Winthrop’s woes (Tacoma Daily Index, August 19, 2011)
A Building on the Brink: A line-item look at Winthrop’s hefty deferred maintenance bill (Tacoma Daily Index, August 10, 2011)
A Building on the Brink: Property report puts $15.7M price tag on Winthrop Hotel’s deferred maintenance (Tacoma Daily Index, August 9, 2011)
Leaving The Winthrop (Tacoma Daily Index, August 17, 2010)
7-year prison sentence for Winthrop arsonist (Tacoma Daily Index, April 23, 2010)
Accused Winthrop arsonist pleads guilty (Tacoma Daily Index, February 2, 2010)
Year In Review: Winthrop Hotel (Tacoma Daily Index, December 29, 2009)
Living On Edge: Inside the Winthrop arson investigation (Tacoma Daily Index, October 23, 2009)
Winthrop resident accepts Safe Streets award (Tacoma Daily Index, September 16, 2009)
Winthrop resident named Safe Streets Superstar (Tacoma Daily Index, September 10, 2009)
Cleaning up a neighborhood, battling a building’s reputation (Tacoma Daily Index, August 25, 2009)
Crime Stoppers offers $1,000 reward for Winthrop serial arsonist (Tacoma Daily Index, August 21, 2009)
Historic hotel or housing? Tough economy shines realistic light on Winthrop development plan(Tacoma Daily Index, August 4, 2009)
Winthrop history, development ideas equally storied (Tacoma Daily Index, June 4, 2009)
Inside the Winthrop (Tacoma Daily Index, June 2, 2009)
THA weighs Winthrop building purchase (Tacoma Daily Index, May 29, 2009)
One dead in Winthrop Hotel fire (Tacoma Daily Index, March 25, 2008)
Resolution would sell City-owned property for mixed-income housing (Tacoma Daily Index, October 29, 2007)
Developer eyes City surplus property for Winthrop Hotel project (Tacoma Daily Index, September 26, 2007)
Winthrop vote illuminates citys affordable housing concerns (Tacoma Daily Index, March 22, 2006)
Council resolution on Winthrop rehab expected tonight (Tacoma Daily Index, March 21, 2006)
Council may vote on whether it supports Winthrop rehabilitation plan (Tacoma Daily Index, March 20, 2006)
Winthrop repairs mean no evacuations (Tacoma Daily Index, December 19, 2005)

In 2009, the Tacoma Daily Index published a series of interviews with many residents of the Winthrop Hotel. To read the complete series, click on the following links: