Old City Hall Historic District
About this property
The Old City Hall Historic District is located on a bluff at the north end of Tacoma's business district, overlooking Commencement Bay. The Old City Hall and the Northern Pacific Office Building stabilize the northern boundary of the district and the Pantages Theatre/Jones Building just south of the district boundary, complements the Winthrop Hotel. All blocks are laid out so that major building entrances face the streets, which run north and south, and the buildings are constructed with common walls, which cover the entire depth of the block, deleting any need for alleys. Thus, with the exception of Pacific Avenue, where business fronts face each other, business fronts tend to be located on the east. The western exposures represent the back of the structures. From the bluff to Pacific Avenue the land is level, but Commerce and Broadway form terraces on the steep hillside. As a result, a facade which appears as a single story on the west side of the street is scaled a full three stories on the east. The pivotal structures dominate the District skyline. As a result, there are a number of vistas that rise and conclude within the boundaries. Views north along Broadway, Commerce and Pacific conclude with the Elks Temple, Old City Hall and Northern Pacific Office Building. Similarly, sight lines from the eastern portion of the district terminate with the last two buildings mentioned. Views to the south along Broadway are distinctly terminated by the Winthrop and Bostwick Hotels as they are on Commerce by virtue of the dominance of the Winthrop Hotel and the Motoramp Garage. There are only three exceptions to the structural density in the District. There is an open parking lot immediately to the north of the Tacoma Motoramp Garage. Fire destroyed the original structure on this site, a business block stylistically cohesive with those to its north along the western side of Pacific. The second exception was noted above, the parking lots in the 802 block. The third consists of lots on Commerce Street to the north and south of the Morris Motors (Wright) building (south of the Spanish Stairs). There is some indication that these spaces were never developed.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Old City Hall Historic District
This page lists Old City Hall Historic District. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
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Questions about this property
When was Old City Hall Historic District listed on the National Register?
Old City Hall Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 23, 1977.
What type of historic resource is Old City Hall Historic District?
Old City Hall Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Old City Hall Historic District?
The period of significance for Old City Hall Historic District is recorded as the listed era.
Can I research the history near Old City Hall Historic District?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Old City Hall Historic District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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An Aubrey US report for an address near Old City Hall Historic District will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.