Tacoma's Old City Hall
Originally designed to house the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce, the structure was adapted to government needs after the City and Chamber decided to swap properties. Modeled after Italian Renaissance town halls, the 1893 structure features fine brickwork and terracotta ornamentation. The distinctive clock was added to the tower in 1904. The city moved out in 1959 and Old City Hall was saved from the wrecking ball in 1973. In the early 1980s, the structure was rehabilitated to house shops, restaurants and offices. In 2005, the iconic building was purchased by The Stratford Company which had ambitious plans to convert it into condominium housing and severed leases for tenants in preparation for the conversion. As a result of deferred maintenance, the building suffered extensive water damage in late 2010. This heightened community awareness of the vulnerability of the building, and caused the City to step in and require the owner to address building code issues. With the economic downtown, the building continues to languish on the real estate market in a high profile location on the north end of Tacoma's grand boulevard, Pacific Avenue.
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