Old City Hall (Tacoma, Washington) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Old City Hall
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Old City Hall in Tacoma, Washington
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 Location in Washington (state)
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| Location | 7th Ave. between Commerce and Pacific Ave., Tacoma, Washington |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1893 |
| Architect | Hatherton & McIntosh |
| Architectural style | Italian Villa |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001973 |
| Added to NRHP | May 17, 1974 |
The Old City Hall is a five-story building in Tacoma, Washington. It was the main office for the city government in the early 1900s. The building has a tall ten-story clocktower on its southeast corner. This tower faces the busy intersection of Pacific Avenue and S 7th Street.
The building is made with strong masonry walls. It also has many windows. The windows on the second and third floors are the same size. The windows on the fourth floor have a rounded top. The windows on the fifth floor are smaller and narrower.
The building's base is made from a light gray stone called Wilkeson stone. The walls are very thick at the bottom, about eight feet. They get a bit thinner as they go up. The outside of the walls is covered with red brick. On top of this, there are yellow Roman bricks. People think these yellow bricks might have come from China, Belgium, or even Italy. The clock tower stands on its own and has a clock on each side.
The building has a unique shape, like a trapezoid. Its design is in the Italian Villa style. You can see small round windows below the roof line. There are also three large round windows on the tower itself.
The clock tower has strong supports near its base. It also has narrow, rectangular windows. Near the top, there are three arched windows on each side. A line of small round windows goes around the tower. These are between the arched windows and the roof edge. Fancy terra cotta decorations make the tower look even nicer. The tower has a clock and four large bells. The McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore made the clock and bells. This is the same company that made the famous Liberty Bell. The bells are very heavy, weighing about 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg). Hugh Wallace, who was an ambassador, gave the bells and chimes as a gift on Christmas Day in 1904. He gave them to remember his daughter. The clock's pendulum is 12 feet (3.7 m) long. It hangs from a 40 feet (12 m) long wire. The clock works by gravity and is wound by electric motors.
History of Old City Hall
Tacoma was once a very important railroad town. It was the end of the line for the Northern Pacific Railroad. Many business people from the Midwest came to Tacoma. They saw a chance to make money and brought their ideas and styles with them. The Old City Hall is a great example of their tastes.
The Old Tacoma City Hall was finished on April 23, 1893. It cost about $257,965 to build. The city used it until 1957. This building shows the exciting and hopeful spirit of Tacoma in the late 1800s. It seems to mix the romantic style of 15th-century Florence, Italy, with the business spirit of America in the 1800s.
Future Plans for the Building
In March 2019, the Tacoma City Council decided to sell the Old City Hall. A company called Surge Tacoma bought it. They plan to fix up and reuse the building. They paid $2 million for it. They will also give $2 million in other ways over the next ten years.
Surge Tacoma has a budget of $15 million for this project. They plan to create 40 small apartments inside. There will also be two restaurants and shops on the first two floors. The old jail in the basement will become a "speakeasy," which is a type of hidden bar. There will also be office spaces for people to work. They are even holding a contest to help restore the clock tower. They hope to open the building on New Year's Eve 2021. They plan to "ring in the new year" using the old clock tower bells.
