Exit133

May 26, 2015 · Exit133

Luzon Park?

Here's a little something we noticed on our way through downtown Tacoma this morning: a new look for the site where the Luzon building once stood.

The corner lot at 13th and Pacific has new plantings and a spiffy new coat of "beauty bark." It's not quite a park, but it's certainly a more polished look than the gravel pit left behind since the demolition of the historic building in 2009.

And it's got us wondering - could it be turned into a usable downtown pocket park? Maybe with a monument to the demolished piece of architectural history...

Filed under: Parks, Tacoma Landmarks, Historic Preservation, Luzon Building

6 comments

  • Jesse May 26, 2015

    The Luzon Tree survives!! http://comics.feedtacoma.com/tacomic/11-27-07-luzon-building-tacoma-xmas-special/

  • honeydew slausen May 26, 2015

    Gotta spiff up for the golfers.

  • David Foster May 26, 2015

    Why are people so enchanted with the idea of pocket parks? There are plenty of open spaces downtown (plazas etc) that don't get used already. Pocket parks don't create vibrant neighborhoods. They are usually just an unimaginative response to a lack of density. Build a real building there that relates well to the street, brings people downtown to work and/or live- that's what is needed. I am glad to see some plantings on the site instead of the gravelly mess that was there before, but let's face it, in place of a [nice] building it still looks a little pathetic.

    • Carl May 28, 2015

      I agree.. the thing that makes a pocket park great is the density surrounding it and forming the "pocket." A pocket park next to a parking lot is just sad.

  • thackerspeed May 29, 2015

    Its beauty is worse than its bark.

  • Swasian June 10, 2015

    I appreciate the hard work to transform an ugly area to something of beauty. Even if it's for the golfers, we will continue to appreciate it after the U.S. Open is over. We often see neglected areas throughout Tacoma that need attention -- I'm glad that this spot is no longer one of them! I just hope that this recent makeover will continue to receive attention and not fall into disarray.