A handful of buildings in Tacoma are worth going to the wall for to ensure that they aren’t lost to history.
At the top of that list is Old City Hall, the 117-year-old former civic building whose elegant Italianate lines have graced many a tourist’s postcards over the years. The very idea that this iconic landmark is being so badly abused by its current owner should have every true Tacoman’s hackles up.
The building has been neglected for years, but last month’s deep freeze was the coup de grace. On Nov. 24, a frozen pipe ruptured, flooding the building with an estimated 30,000 gallons of water.
Since then, almost nothing has been done to clean up the mess. Any homeowner who has experienced water damage knows what can happen: Mold can become a problem, wood rots and can become dangerously sodden, and water can damage electrical wiring, creating a fire hazard.
On Tuesday, Tacoma City Manager Eric Anderson told the City Council that little could be done to pressure the Seattle-based owner to prevent even more damage to Old City Hall.
One of Tacoma’s greatest historic buildings is in danger of rotting or burning, and there’s nothing the city can do? That’s not acceptable; the city must find a way to save this landmark.
After the historic Luzon Building was allowed to decay over decades – until it became a public hazard and was torn down – city officials recognized the need to tighten the ordinance pertaining to historic buildings. If adopted, the revision would give the city more authority to conduct ongoing monitoring of historic buildings’ condition.
That’s a good move, but it doesn’t help Old City Hall now. The property is on the verge of foreclosure, which could explain why the ownership group doesn’t seem interested in sinking any money into cleanup or repairs.
Assuming that Old City Hall survives and goes into foreclosure, what then? If the city were able to buy it at a bargain-basement auction price, it could make the minimum repairs needed to prevent further deterioration.
At that point, the city should consider creating a public development authority for historic buildings along the lines of the one that administers the Foss Waterway. It’s not a new concept. Seattle has one, Historic Seattle, as do Port Townsend and Bellingham (the last is not restricted to historic structures).
On its website Historic Seattle describes its mission: “Historic Seattle seeks significant buildings or sites, which are threatened and/or neglected, and participates in strategies to preserve them. By our charter as a public development authority, we can purchase, sell, own, develop and invest in real estate for the purpose of preservation.”
Such a PDA sounds tailor-made for Old City Hall. But the immediate problem is to get the building dry – and fast.
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