The Luzon - Circa 1890
With the fate of the Burnham & Root designed Luzon Building blowing precariously in the wind, we thought we’d bring you this photo sent to us by Jessica Spring:
Click to Enlarge
This image was found in the attic of her home on North Yakima Avenue and it reminds us of what Tacoma looked like circa 1890. So much has changed. The buildings. The wooden streets. The lack of a tree in the window of the Luzon … each week brings something new.
Previously on Exit133: Luzon Update: Street Closures and Luzon Unlocked
Filed under: General
17 comments
N Nick August 24, 2009
Such a good looking building! Wish someone with the funds would jump in on this one before it’s too late…
R RR Anderson August 24, 2009
my god… it’s full of stars.
T Thorax O'Tool August 24, 2009
I like what’s next to it better than the parking lot we have now…
C Chris K August 24, 2009
That’s a good one, RR.
It is a great building. If we can’t save it, we should find ways to encourage a similar building in its place.
Look at those new cable car tracks too in the middle of S. 13th. They’d be younger than Tacoma Link’s tracks at this point.
D dawntown August 24, 2009
Looks like the hoof up the hill hasn’t changed one bit
A altered Chords August 24, 2009
I like the building better with a tree growing out of it.
P Princess Adora August 24, 2009
That’s so sad that they let that grand old lady rot away. Why do we keep doing this? The Luzon and Elks are still (mostly) standing, but does anyone remember that one building that collapsed last year?
T Thorax O'Tool August 24, 2009
wow… comic strip WIN from the city’s and private enterprise’s FAIL
M Morty August 24, 2009
Thanks for the picture JS and the juxtaposition on Google map @10 JW. But jeez, even in 1890 the place is dead…only three people walking around, of course that’s three more than you see in today’s picture.
C cy August 25, 2009
I count 10 people total in the picture. My wife says 11 and my daughter says nine.
C crenshaw sepulveda August 25, 2009
There are at least 16 people visible in the old picture, not including any in the windows.
S Sarah August 25, 2009
I hope Jessica takes this to the NW Room and at least lets them scan it into their archives. Its such a great photo and looks identical to the Gintz rendering that has been posted onsite for quite awhile. Here’s hoping that rendering comes to be in the future.
C crenshaw sepulveda August 25, 2009
To be sure, in 1890 there was far more going on downtown. The blocks were all buildings and not mostly vacant lots. You can see they had a fine rail system to get people downtown and I suspect they had far more housing downtown than we have today.
F frizzlebee August 25, 2009
If my eyes don’t deceive me, the Luzon looks like it’s leaning even in the old photo. Did they measure it beforehand to see if it changed? I bet that we could market it as a tourist attraction! Tacoma’s own leaning tower! The streets would be overflowing with people pretending to push it back upright. It doesn’t need new tenants, Gintz just needs to think outside the box.
M Mofo from the Hood August 25, 2009
Yeah, sometimes I look at photographs of old girlfriends from decades ago…
and I think about all the modern marvels of science that can restore an old dame back to her prime.
Y You're Welcome August 26, 2009
13!!! There are 13 people! My husband and I each counted 13.
J John August 26, 2009
This is exactly Tacoma’s problem and why office space in Tacoma will never deserve the higher rental rates. Tacoma is so worried about saving a building that by all measures should be torn down. Only those not willing to spend their own money would think this is a good idea. Until Tacoma makes it easy for a developer to nock down an outdated building, dig a hole, put parking under ground, and build a true Class A building it will forever have problems generating activity downtown. People do not want to walk up hill 3 block because there is no parking in a building.