Scaffolding will be going up soon around Tacoma’s city hall. Here’s what’s up
With a price tag of at least $20 million, the city of Tacoma is embarking on a multi-phase effort to refurbish and preserve the exterior of Tacoma’s city hall, also known as the Tacoma Municipal Building.
Starting Oct. 20, crews will begin working on Phase 1 of the project, which includes efforts to clean and seal the cast stone that makes up the building’s exterior, replacing and resetting pieces of cast stone and more. Before the city purchased the building at 747 Market Street, the prior owner sandblasted the exterior three times in an attempt to clean it but instead removed a “critical moisture layer,” city spokesperson Maria Lee said in 2024.
Phase 1 will conclude by the end of 2026 and will be the first of three phases that seek to “address decades of deterioration and preserve the building’s historic structure.” The city has allocated $4.5 million for the first phase, and the city will look for funding to cover the cost of future phases as it develops its next budget, through requests to the legislature and grants.
Crews will install scaffolding around the building of about one story, but both entrances to the building will remain open for the duration of the work on Phase 1, the release from the city states.
“Lessons learned during Phase 1 will be used to refine the scope, methods, timelines, and cost estimates for subsequent work,” the release states. “Phase 2 will prioritize cleaning and preservation of the north and south facades.”
The Tacoma Municipal Building first opened in 1931 as the Rhodes Medical Arts Tower — a “one-stop shop for all things medical,” South Sound Talk reported in 2018. The city of Tacoma purchased the building in 1978, and it now houses services ranging from Tacoma FIRST 311 — the city’s customer support center — to the mayor’s office.
