Over the last two months, my email inbox and ears have been filled by people describing to me why they support the restoration of Tacoma’s Winthrop Hotel. Here they are summarized below as well as a couple of my own. (I am sure Kevin will have his.)

Tacoma's Winthrop 1. The historical Winthrop Hotel is an authentic and integral part of Tacoma’s history and culture and worth restoring. In contrast, few will travel to see a renovated apartment complex

2. Seattle, Portland, Spokane all have restored historical hotels. Aberdeen is in the process of a hotel restoration. Of the nearly dozen former Tacoma hotels, zero have thus far been restored.

3. Restored historic hotels have a well established track record of revitalizing downtowns in cities and attract local residents and visitors alike.

4. The north portion of downtown Tacoma formally had 4 functional historical hotels. However, none of them are available for visitor accomodation.

5. Large high-density, high-rise low income housing projects have been a failure in many cities due to increased crime and disorder. Such a design is against the recommendation of HUD. (See Creating Defensible Space, Newman 2004)

6. The City of Tacoma has spent or committed to spend over ten million dollars on light rail, the Pantageous theater and on the upcoming LID street improvement work on Broadway in the Theater District. The expenditures of taxpayer funds will be of limited use if visitors have no overnight accommodation.

7. Dozens of Tacoma architects, preservationists, builders and craftsmen have been working during the last few weeks to design a plan to restore the Winthrop Hotel and address low income housing issues. The City of Tacoma should assist the restoration of the Winthrop, not spend $1,000,000 in taxpayer funds to squelch their efforts.

8. Final reason Tacomans favor restoring the Winthrop Hotel: Do we really want to be behind Spokane and Aberdeen?

What are your reasons for restoring the Winthrop Hotel?

Note: The fate of the Winthrop Hotel will be decided on September 12th by the Tacoma City Council at 5:00 p.m. 747 Market Street. If you have not done so already, please contact your city council members on the issue and let them know how you feel. (Click link above to send a standard modifiable email to all of the city council members).

Erik Bjornson is a family law attorney practicing in downtown Tacoma. He writes frequently on urban planning and the health of cities in the Tacoma News Tribune.

Comments (27) | To Top

9/7/2006 @ 10:05am

Of course we want to restore the Winthrop.

Other cities fix up hotels without any debate at all.

by Steve M

9/7/2006 @ 10:13am

It sure would be stunning to have a beacon like that shining on that side of town. I hate to say it but I never feel safe riding the Link all the way to the Theatre District stop.

by KevinFreitas

9/7/2006 @ 10:31am

" I hate to say it but I never feel safe riding the Link all the way to the Theatre District stop."

You are not alone. That section of light rail is not used much.

The Tacoma Daily Index had a good story about that basically saying that there are effectively two different downtowns.

They have a good article today on the Winthrop issue as well.

by Erik

9/7/2006 @ 11:48am

Tacoma citizens and leaders need to support the notion of what is the best use for this historic stucture. Also our city leaders need to think towards the future and understand what fantastic opportunities would arise by restoring the Winthrop back into a grand hotel. More tax revenue, more jobs, butts in seats for the theaters, new businesses, the list can go on forever.

by Kris

9/7/2006 @ 12:19pm

The reality is there are scores of places to house low-income residents, and only ONE to house a historic flagship hotel, the Winthrop. This is a no-brainer, folks.

by Phil Brooke

9/7/2006 @ 1:29pm

Kevin--Astoria OR also has a beautifully restored hotel.

The Winthrop could be a destination in itself...

Why sink public money into it for a low income housing building?

by Ttown Tommy

9/7/2006 @ 2:20pm

A couple of contrary questions:

* Is there actually enough low-income housing available?
* Is there enough demand for the number of spaces in a renovated hotel?
* Are there any other options beside these two poles? (For example: could it be renovated as housing, but in a mix of market and below-market rate?)

Admittedly, this isn't an issue I've been following, but those are the questions that come to mind right now.

by Elaine

9/7/2006 @ 2:28pm

What a great way to get tourists in and around town: A beautiful restored hotel with doorstep access to the Link and the convention center, museums, and markets. Plus, there's easy freeway access from the Stadium exit off 705.

Tommy: I was just briefly in Astoria. Didn't see the hotel but it's a city working hard to re-vitalize.

Elaine: I hear you. Those questions came up in my mind as well. The article in today's Tacoma Daily Index (http://tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=723380&more=) mentions the potential hotel developer allocating funds to help with relocation of current residents.

by KevinFreitas

9/7/2006 @ 4:00pm

I get the feeling that during the last 6 months people have changed their minds on the Winthrop Hotel. They always wanted it restored.

However, now it seems as if people for the first time believe it is actually possible to have it restored and don't want to see the hotel just go to anything like other buildings in Tacoma have.

by Erik

9/7/2006 @ 10:49pm

I came form Chicago and alway admired old buildings- they do speak of the the history of a place. It adds flavor to it. Add color and experience when someone visits a place. Imagine someone who loves vintage cars(LeMay) and wanna hang out in our city in the future for a couple of days to visit other museums in town--- where would one stay to savor the history and experience TACOMA? Just imagine the "quality" of visitors we can actually have to roam our streets.

{But again, I think there is much more to say about PEACE AND ORDER in our city than debating about waht to do with the Winthrop}. I am worried that a four star hotel woudl not have occupancy if the area where it sits is still shady when it comes to crime and grime... Thanks Mayor Baarsma for hanging in there ....more power to you!

by waldo dagan

9/8/2006 @ 1:40am

Just a FYI.. A lot of the council members don't check their emails until right before the council meeting. So if there are a ton they might not get a chance to read them all. I did send an email last night and Ms. Ladenburg read it today. No response back though.

If we had full time council memebers it would probably be different, emails would probably get read right away.

by Jake

9/8/2006 @ 6:35am

waldo: I agree that safety should come along with a possible renovation of the Winthrop. It is a bit chicken and egg, though. More policing of a less desirable area first or a more desirable area brings security.

Jake: Interesting point. When bringing up the Plaza naming issue I got a few direct responses via email from the mayor and a couple council members. Maybe that was because I was a particular noise maker those weeks but I think they put forth their best effort to communicate via email.

Making them full-time, however, would be an interesting way to go.

by KevinFreitas

9/8/2006 @ 9:13am

I actually do think the council reads emails. They often remark about emails they receive. Few people contact them on issues so when they get something it gets their attention.

In reference to the plaza naming issue, the council did make a note of the emails and wanted to aknowledge the feedback. I think some of the comments were in the line of "we appear have some new people in town that are getting involved."

Actually, I think Kevin and many of his readers (including myself) have been in Tacoma for a good number of years. It may have been the quick number of emails they received that surprised them.

In addition to email, however, you can call the council office at (253) 591-5100 to speak to your council member on the issue and/or give comment at the public hearing.

by Erik

9/8/2006 @ 11:32am

I didn't say they don't read them. I just said that some of them check their email the day of the meeting. I have read receipts on emails I send so that usually lets you know when they are read.

For me, Evans, Anderson, and Lonergan are the ones that usually email back.

by Jake

9/8/2006 @ 11:41am

A response is certainly great but I'm mostly concerned that they read and process them before coming to final decisions on issues. An email should carry just as much weight in their mind as a phone call or letter. It's how things are done these days and they need to be very aware how many of us use email as a primary means of communication (aside from blogs, that is).

by KevinFreitas

9/8/2006 @ 3:11pm

Got a delete without being read from Anderson.
Ouch!

by Jake

9/9/2006 @ 5:08am

he AF Evans’ request for $1,000,000 from the City of Tacoma to keep the Winthrop Hotel as high-density low-income apartments should be rejected. The Winthrop is a historic hotel, the restoration of which carries the same social and economic importance for downtown Tacoma as the renovation of Union Station.

Recently Councilman Mike Lonergan cautioned against missing “a great opportunity for a mixed-use project by an excellent developer and property manager” (AF Evans). Yet on the 11 o’clock KOMO news tonight Mark Miller reported that the Lake Washington Apartments, a 366-unit low-income property owned and managed by AF Evans, has reached a crisis point in criminal behaviors including drug dealing and a shooting.

The resuscitation of downtown Tacoma was ushered in with daring endeavors such as the opening of the University of Washington (UWT) downtown and Fred Roberson renovating the Harmon Building. Union Station, Albers Mill, UWT, and the history, glass, and art museums are anchors that secure Tacoma's economic, educational, and cultural future.

The Theater District currently languishes from the burden of more than 200 hundred dilapidated low-income housing units within a two-block radius that negatively affect nearby small businesses struggling to survive.

Five years ago Tacoma had the opportunity to restore one of its grand hotels – the Olympus. Sadly it was renovated into low-income housing and has since returned to its former dismal condition of criminal activity by miscreants preying on the needy who should be integrated, not isolated, into neighborhoods on a more reasonable scale.

Seattle, Spokane, and Portland have restored historic hotels that contribute to the economy, are a source of civic pride, and pay homage to their architectural past. The Olympus Hotel sits on Pacific Avenue as a conspicuous lost opportunity to renew the Theater District tenderloin. Tacoma’s city leaders should not spurn another opportunity to reclaim the Winthrop Hotel – rich in history, elegant in stature, rife with economic potential.

Laura Hanan
Business, property-owner, and resident
811 & 813 Pacific Ave.
Tacoma, WA 98402

by Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Flim

9/9/2006 @ 9:08am

Following up on Laura's letter, check out this article posted yesterday about one of AF Evans "projects" http://feeds.seattlenews.net/?rid=6772bcd7a88b92bc&cat=a69648530d514cd5&f=1

by Kris

9/9/2006 @ 9:47am

Nice research Laura. Just in time.

Here's what the article states:

"Drug dealing, shootings, beatings, syringes on lawns, stolen mail, feces and urine in hallways, and condoms in the laundry rooms have plagued the Lake Washington Apartments this summer, say tenants. . ."

and

"The Lake Washington Apartments, at 9061 Seward Park Ave. S. in Rainier Beach, have been co-owned the past 10 years by AF Evans, a private California-based property management firm, and the non-profit Southeast Effective Development organization (SEED), which promotes low-income housing in Rainier Valley."

http://feeds.seattlenews.net/?rid=6772bcd7a88b92bc&cat=a69648530d514cd5&f=1

That's why I stated above that:

Large high-density, high-rise low income housing projects have been a failure in many cities due to increased crime and disorder. Such a design is against the recommendation of HUD. (See Creating Defensible Space, Newman 2004)

by Erik

9/9/2006 @ 7:31pm

Checkout www.apartmentratings.com and look up Lake Washington Apartments managed by AF Evans then click on opinions. Very telling.

by Kris

9/9/2006 @ 8:35pm

Here's a link to what Kris is talking about above:

http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/WA-Seattle-Lake-Washington-Apartments.html

I sincerely hope someone will be bringing this up in an email to the council and Tuesday at the meeting. Seems like AF Evans is the last property manager we want to hand over a million dollars to.

Thanks Kris!

by KevinFreitas

9/9/2006 @ 11:39pm

Nice research Kris! Wow.

You can see how the building and management was rated by tenants as well over the last 2 and a half years.

by Erik

9/11/2006 @ 1:21pm

Here's the results of Kevin's poll:

Restoring the Winthrop Hotel 43

Investing in keeping the Winthrop as low-income housing 2

Total Votes 45

(click poll link for graphical result)

Percent voting to restore Winthrop Hotel = 95.5 percent.

by Erik

12/5/2006 @ 6:37pm

I noticed that our council members vote for personal property tax breaks, including LID funds, only to ask the taxpayers to support continued tax measures in the future. I only received two responses from council members and none of them were listed in your list. I'm not shocked to hear some delete your messages without reading their e-mail and doing their job. Let's hope they don't ask for per diem for each time they delete your message.
J-

by Peking

12/9/2006 @ 8:14pm

You mentioned tis is a historic building. Will the owners claim a property tax cut for tis building?

I know of a 1.8M commercial property in downtown that is considered a historic structure, but only is assessed at 500k.

by Wong

9/16/2007 @ 8:30pm

Tacoma still awaits the restoration of its historic Withrop Hotel. (9/16/20007).

by Erik B.

3/25/2008 @ 3:01pm

I never had the chance to see this building but I want to tell something about another hotel some people thought to rebuild or destroy. In Romania there's a famous hotel called Traian and it's famous because it was designed by Gustave Eiffel himself (if you don't know who he is, he designed the Eiffel Tower from Paris). The hotel was well known but in bad shape after the war so they decided to tear it down. The residents manifested in front of it and asked the state to invest some money and restore it. Finally, the town hall caved and pulled all the ropes to rebuild it. It's still there, prouder than ever.

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