Downtown Tacoma facts for kids
Downtown Tacoma is the main business area of Tacoma, Washington, in the United States. It's like the city's central hub! You can find it in the northeast part of Tacoma. It stretches roughly from A Street to Tacoma Avenue (east to west) and from South 7th Street to South 25th Street (north to south). The very center of downtown is where 9th Street and Broadway meet.
Contents
Downtown Tacoma's Story
How Downtown Changed Over Time
In the 1960s, Downtown Tacoma faced some challenges. Many big stores moved away to the new Tacoma Mall. This made downtown less busy.
To bring people back, the city tried some new ideas. They built big parking garages. They even closed part of Broadway Street to cars, hoping it would become a fun shopping area. This was called the Broadway Mall. But it didn't work as well as they hoped. So, in the 1980s, cars were allowed back on Broadway Street.
Bringing Life Back to Downtown
Later, people worked hard to make downtown great again! A big step was fixing up Union Station in 1990. This beautiful old train station became Tacoma's federal courthouse.
Another huge change was the opening of the University of Washington Tacoma. Instead of building new, the university decided to restore six old warehouses. These buildings were in a run-down area near downtown. Today, this area is full of life! It's now a busy place with museums and university buildings.
Many shops and restaurants have returned. Downtown is truly having a comeback! New places like the Museum of Glass, the Tacoma Art Museum, and the Washington State History Museum have added lots of excitement to the area.
Making Downtown Even Better
In 2006, the Tacoma City Council approved a plan to improve St. Helens Street. This plan helped fix up parts of downtown that needed attention.
The city also encouraged new homes to be built. They offered a special tax exemption for new apartments and condos. This meant more people started living downtown. Since 2002, many old buildings like the Perkins Building and Harmon Lofts were updated into places for people to live.
A new place for big meetings, the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center, opened in 2004. This brought even more visitors to downtown.
Famous Buildings and Features
Downtown Tacoma is known for its amazing historic buildings. Most of these were built a long time ago, at the end of the 1800s.
Some of these cool buildings include:
- The Old City Hall Building
- Union Station (which we talked about!)
- The Elks Temple
- The Bostwick Building
- The Winthrop Hotel
- The Pythian Temple, which is home to Seabury Middle School
The Mecca Theater is also being restored, bringing another historic spot back to life.
You can also find the city's Christmas tree in the downtown area during the holiday season!
