City Hall (Old City Hall) - Tacoma, Washington
Posted by: 
Hikenutty
N 47° 15.439 W 122° 26.440
10T E 542318 N 5233911
Constructed in 1893, the Old City Hall of Tacoma showcases the Italian Renaissance style of Architecture. The building has now been renovated and turned into condominiums.
Waymark Code: WM1GNA
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 05/05/2007
Views: 91
The following excerpt is from the
Washington: A Guide to the Evergreen State book, in the Tacoma "Points of Interest" section:
The CITY HALL, S. 7th St. between Pacific Ave, and Commerce St., designed by Heatherton and McIntosh, local architects, is an adaptation of the Italian townhall. The attached campanile, instead of tower bells, has a chiming clock with four dials. page 273
How the writers of this section of the guide book failed to be more impressed with this building is beyond me. The building features pressed brickwork, terra cotta ornamentation, and a copper tiled roof. The stately, ornate building with its arched and bracketed clock tower reflects the promise of Tacoma immediately before the nationwide economic crash in the spring of 1893.
The brick walls at the base of the structure are eight feet thick and were made with bricks brought as ballast on ships. The clock tower is freestanding and its walls tilt inward as they rise, to increase the sense of height.
In 1959, City of Tacoma offices moved to a modern building with Pierce County offices and the Old City Hall stood vacant for more than 10 years. During the 1970s it was renovated into boutiques and restaurants, but they did not thrive, and in the 1980s the Old City Hall was converted into professional offices. Most recently the building are being converted to condominiums with renovations starting in 2007.
Both the building, and the Old City Hall District are listed on the US Register of National Historic Places.