Winthrop Suitors Line Up - Hotel In Mix (22. August 2006, 07:07 by Derek Young) ~ When Oh When
Will Winthrop news ever drop from my radar? Nevermind. The News Tribune today has a story about the new suitors for the Winthrop Hotel. A.F. Evans hasn’t given up yet. Others are coming along. Most interesting is Quigg Bros. Inc’s potential plan to convert the building back into a hotel. From the article:
Quigg, who now lives in Gig Harbor and has business interests in Tacoma, said he’s been observing the Winthrop discussion for a while, but decided just recently to try to assemble a team to buy and restore it. His parents honeymooned at the hotel and he feels passionate about his plan.
“The character of any city is defined by its finest hotel,†he said.
A major part of Quigg’s plan would be relocating the tenants who live in the building. In addition to restoring the hotel, Quigg is talking about spending $30 million for a parking garage, condominiums and affordable housing for displaced tenants. Quigg has been meeting not only with city officials and architects, but also with low-income housing advocates and church leaders. He hopes to put down money soon for a 120-day due diligence period, he said.
Interesting to me is a common thread I’m hearing in emails and conversations about the role of hotels in a city. I received this email a few days ago:
A city is defined by it’s greatest hotel, with that said, Tacoma is defined as a 1 star at best—the Sheraton, or as a stretch a 2 star—the marriott. The revitalization of downtown must start with the hotel that was created as a four star hotel and should always be as such, not low income housing. It is in the center of downtown and if one has to ask where this apex is located, then they are as blind as the rest of the city. Billionaires are cited as being the catalysts of the revitilazation of Tacoma by building skyscrapers, but these structures are lacking a couple of things, namely, soul and history. The Winthrop is where it all begins, it is embarassing to have to send prominent businessman and businesswomen to seattle and then return to Tacoma to conduct business…
We’ll see. I have a feeling we’ll be talking about this for a while… Any new thoughts today?
Link to The News Tribune
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I certainly hope Quigg’s plan goes through.
Regardless, this shows that the Winthrop certainly has the potential to be something grand looking at all of the interest in the property. We should not settle for less.
Interesting to me is a common thread I’m hearing in emails and conversations about the role of hotels in a city
I agree to a great extent. The renovation of the Winthrop would have a huge positive impact on the image of the city and an incalcuable positive impact on the north end of downtown.
While the Winthrop is being renovated, I would guess a huge amount of financial interest would come in to revitalize the north part of downtown.
“A city is defined by it’s greatest hotel”
Couldn’t agree more. The Winthrop would be a much needed improvement for the traditional downtown center.
One of the better parts of this plan seems to be relocation of the existing tenants. I bite my tongue, though—we do not stand to gain anything until low income housing is integrated with mid and higher income housing. The practice has been tried and perfected throughout the country and can work in Tacoma. Our country is facing an affordable housing crisis and we cannot afford to lose those valuable units.
One of the factors that makes a city vibrant is not only the mixed uses but also the mixed incomes. Midtown Manhattan has thousands of units of public housing, but this does not detract from the character of the City—it in fact enhances it.
2 | Posted by drizell | Aug 23, 12:34 AM
The Winthrop would be a much needed improvement for the traditional downtown center.
I believe the restoration of the Winthrop to a first class hotel again would constitute the largest positive revitalization event in Tacoma in the last 20 years other than the installation of UWT and the Glass Museum.
Not only would the renovation restore a key historical building like Union Station, but it would bring a great many people through the city through its use a hotel.
One of the better parts of this plan seems to be relocation of the existing tenants. I bite my tongue, though—we do not stand to gain anything until low income housing is integrated with mid and higher income housing.
I think the city is finally looking to move away from project type housing and follow other cities toward mixed income housing. The city manager has called this “seamless housing.”
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