All Roads Lead to Rhodes

The Rhodes Department Store building is in the news again.  The building at 11th and Broadway just can’t find a happy owner.  The retail store moved to the mall in 1974.  It was nearly demolished in the 1976.  Then it was saved.  The UPS law school bought the building and moved in around 1980.  In 1994 the law school was sold to Seattle University.  I was a tour guide at UPS in 1994 when the University sold the law school.  Anybody remember those TNT political cartoons?  Yeah, that was a fun time to be a tour guide…  Sorry, random aside.  The school finally left Tacoma in 1999 and the building was picked up by the state. 

Now, according to Peter Callaghan, the building is running a deficit of $8.4 million after a $23 million renovation and it has $21.7 million in deferred maintenance.  To top it off, the market value is estimated at $21 million.  So what’s the state to do?  Cut and run!

It’s a little big for my needs.  How about you? 

Link to The News Tribune