Walk Tacoma's Historic Auto Row on July 19th (11. July 2007, 23:05 by Derek Young) ~ We'll See You There
Once upon a time, downtown Tacoma had an auto row that stretched the entire length of what we now know as the St. Helens neighborhood. On Thursday, July 19th, take a walk along these streets and see some of these buildings that you may have taken for granted in a whole new way. Mueller-Harkins. The Mandarin Antiques building. Many of the storefronts along Broadway. These are spaces originally built to house the increasingly popular automobile. Other than Mueller-Harkins, these buildings have moved on to new uses, but the reasoning for their architecture and distinctive style remains.
As downtown changes we get further away from this historical backdrop. Before we all forget what was there, take a walk and learn a few things. Did you know that the building that houses Stadium Bistro, Doyle’s and St. Helens Cafe – the final destination on the tour – was Tacoma’s first automobile building? It was built in 1907 to house the American Automobile Company. As the endpoint for the tour, St. Helens Cafe will feature a band just outside its roll up doors. Come on out, learn something, and help support local businesses.
The event is sponsored by Historic Tacoma and the Tacoma Historical Society.
What
Autowalk walking tour
When
Thursday, July 19th from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Where
Downtown, between South 9th and South 7th on Broadway and between South 7th and South 2nd on St. Helens Avenue
Why
To spotlight the architecture and the dealerships that brought Tacoma into the automotive age
Cost
Free
Previously on Exit133
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...and there will be cool antique and classic cars parked along the route to check out!
1 | Posted by tom waits | Jul 12, 08:53 AM
A friend mentioned the 1950 ultra modern buick? dealership at 6th and St Helens was going to be torn down soon to make way for more condos and whole foods. Anyone else heard anything? It would be a shame to see this one go instead of the ugly lots around Std Thriftway
2 | Posted by Scott Hunter | Jul 12, 09:03 AM
Scott – that would be the Sharpe Project from this epic thread. No Whole Foods, but a similar type grocery store – according to the rumors.
I don’t mean to be a troll, but the ushering in of the automobile era didn’t exactly spell great news for Tacoma. I can understand the need to review our history, but shouldn’t such a walking tour place Tacoma’s auto age in its relative context? Cars brought with them the construction of Interstate 5 and the destruction of many Tacoma neighborhoods. It also brought with it the collapse of the streetcar system, the death of Downtown retail, the rise of the Tacoma Mall, downtown parking garages and a proliferation of sprawl into the outer reaches of Pierce County.
Sorry to be a wet blanket, but shouldn’t we be shunning these initial establishments as naive missteps in the development of our city, rather than celebrating their introduction of the automobile? I’d be interested in what other people have to say.
4 | Posted by Chris Karnes | Jul 12, 10:38 AM
It sounds to me that this walk is about celebrating the architecture of automotive buildings and I would add some of the beautiful designs and workmanship in vintage automobilies. Remember, most good things can be misused if not enough boundaries from the community are in place.
5 | Posted by Rod Schein | Jul 12, 01:48 PM
shouldn’t we be shunning these initial establishments as naive missteps in the development of our city
You are referring to nearly 50 years of development in Tacoma – the buildings on this tour date from the turn of the century through 1949. While I agree that two cars in every garage and pathetic mass transit are nothing to celebrate, you’re talking as much about post war planning and socioeconomics as anything.
So I think it is a bit strong to say that the architectural history along Broadway and St Helens should be shunned because “cars are bad.” That’s an awful uncompromising view of a somewhat complex set of historical trends.
Take Tacoma as a historical timber port. Is the entire history of our city to be shunned because of massive deforestation?
6 | Posted by tom waits | Jul 12, 03:07 PM
“So I think it is a bit strong to say that the architectural history along Broadway and St Helens should be shunned because “cars are bad.”
I agree – Tacoma’s “love affair with the automobile,” is in our blood or we wouldn’t have given the nod to the LeMay Museum.
7 | Posted by Laura H. | Jul 12, 04:40 PM
Peter Callaghan has an excellent story in today’s News Tribune about the AutoWalk about the history and architecture that will be featured Thursday. I had the opportunity yesterday to get a sneak-peek at some of the display boards being assembled for the five stops along the way, showing images of how the dealerships looked back in the day. The 700 block of Broadway alone was like an auto mall, and most of the buildings are still standing. I’m glad Brett, Historic Tacoma, Tacoma Historical Society, and a crew of volunteers took this on. I wonder why nobody thought of this idea earlier!
8 | Posted by Broadway resident | Jul 17, 10:41 AM
I don’t mean to be a troll, but the ushering in of the automobile era didn’t exactly spell great news for Tacoma. I can understand the need to review our history, but shouldn’t such a walking tour place Tacoma’s auto age in its relative context?
I think we can recognize both. The parking garages were once a place were alot of activity happened but most are little more than urban blight at this point as all they do is store cars.
Aren’t we talking about buildings? The Mueller-Harkins building is not a parking garage!
10 | Posted by Laura H. | Jul 17, 04:50 PM
This is a very cool event. The tour highlights the neighborhood stretch of historic buildings from south 2nd to 9th Streets, reaching up to St. Helen’s and Broadway, with noteworthy backgrounds as automobile showrooms rich in architecture and iconic automotive memorabilia.
It is important as Tacoma moves forward in its heady downtown revitalization to honor the past.
As Americans begin to examine the wisdom of a car-centric society, we can’t deny our past and continued love affair with the automobile.
While some people may disagree with future plans to build the multi-million dollar LeMay Car Museum, we should celebrate the fact that it represents the rich tapestry of different interests that define Tacomans.
11 | Posted by Laura H. | Jul 17, 10:02 PM
I think we can recognize both. The parking garages were once a place were [sic] alot of activity happened but most are little more than urban blight at this point as all they do is store cars.
Um, actually the list of buildings includes not only Mueller Harkins, but Kings Books, the Wagner Motors Building (Mandarin Antiques – a city landmark), the Passages Building, the collegiate Gothic building across from the Elks, etc etc.
Certainly there are some that could benefit from an adaptive reuse for a higher, better use, but I am not sure they deserve to be called urban blight. We have way better examples of urban blight in Tacoma than these, most of which are within the boundaries of a National Historic District.
12 | Posted by tom waits | Jul 18, 10:28 AM
Maps for the tour are available at:
- Tacoma Historical Society (747 Broadway)
- Kings Books
- Mueller-Hawkins (USA of Yesterday)
Enjoy.
13 | Posted by DavidS | Jul 19, 02:23 PM
Two hours to go! I won’t be at my docent location for a while…you downtown eyes see any classic cars rolling in yet?
(Could be worse; could be raining.)
14 | Posted by Dave L. | Jul 19, 03:10 PM
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