Not squatters: Temple Theatre renters didn’t know apartments were illegal
The rooftop fire was only the beginning of the Temple Theatre's troubles.
The historic Stadium District venue has lacked power since an electrical fire erupted on its roof May 12.
Upon further inspection, the City of Tacoma found the Landmark Convention Center didn’t just contain a stage and event spaces. City investigators discovered illegal apartments within the building and issued a “Do Not Occupy” order for tenants on June 11.
The people living inside weren’t squatters. They believed they were renting legitimate apartments.
According to tenants interviewed by The News Tribune, at least three units were rented in the old theater building. How long had the arrangement been active? One tenant, Nick Marsh, said he lived in the building for more than a year.
The building is not registered for residential use, and the city had no knowledge of any tenants at the location prior to the fire, according to city spokesperson Maria Lee.
The theater’s owner, Lawrence Boileau, has not responded to calls, messages or texts from The News Tribune requesting an interview.
One of the renters, who asked to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation from the landlord, lived in a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment with a private patio. The windows framed a sprawling view of Commencement Bay and Mount Rainier.
The tenant also had access to a separate room, used to store kayaks, a paddleboard and bikes.
The tenant found out about the unit from Marsh, who was moving to another unit in the building.
At first, the situation appeared normal. The tenant signed a lease and moved into the apartment on April 18 of this year with a cat, less than a month before the venue’s roof caught fire. The agreement required a $4,000 deposit and $1,700 in monthly rent.
Things began to seem fishy when the tenant asked management for the copy of the lease after moving in. The answer: repeated stalling.
To this day, the tenant doesn’t have a copy of the lease.
On the day of the fire, the tenant exited the building and sat outside for four hours amid a scene of black smoke and fire trucks, waiting for answers as firefighters extinguished the flames.
Marsh also had no idea of the apartment’s illegal status. After living in the one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit for a year, he moved to a studio apartment in the building equipped with a kitchen and bathroom. After making a $2,100 security deposit, he paid his $1,600 rent in cash each month he lived there, he said.
He never saw a lease, he said.
The only way the two tenants the News Tribune interviewed have been able to contact management since the fire is by texting the venue’s maintenance man, who also lives on the property. He has not responded to requests for comment.
Since the rooftop fire, the tenant who chose to remain anonymous has cooked meals on a camping stove, taken freezing cold showers and slept with four blankets to try to stay warm without any heating.
Before Marsh moved out in late May, he was in a similar boat. He lived in the dark, couldn’t cook and had to shower at other people’s houses.
“It was a nightmare,” he said. “It did get cold at night because there’s no heat or anything.”
Marsh moved out on June 2, over a week before the city issued its “Do Not Occupy” order.
That type of notice requires the landlord to pay relocation assistance to the displaced tenants within seven days.
The anonymous tenant is still on the property and hasn’t received any money for relocation assistance nor heard from management, despite repeated attempts to contact by phone and email.
After a weekend of scrambling to find a short-notice living arrangement, the tenant secured another apartment. Now comes the challenge of moving out by the end of the week, all while balancing a full-time job.
“I’ve been sick to my stomach. I’ve missed work,” the tenant said. “I just feel like I need to escape, and I don’t know how.”
The News Tribune asked Lee, spokesperson for the City of Tacoma, why the city took nearly a month to post the “Do Not Occupy” order when both Marsh and the anonymous tenant informed the fire department of their tenancy the day of the fire.
Lee told The News Tribune in an email that a tenant reached out to the city via 311 on June 1 and explained there may be up to four unpermitted residences.
“Because these units were unpermitted and not on official City records, we rely on tenants coming forward so we can provide them with resources,” Lee said.
City inspectors will be posting informational materials on the venue’s entrances during their follow-up inspection this week.
“For immediate, emergency survival needs—such as temporary shelter—we refer displaced individuals to community partners like the Red Cross and Associated Ministries, who are equipped to provide rapid assistance,” Lee said. “Tenants who need help understanding their rights should contact the City’s Landlord-Tenant Program by dialing 311.”
