A Tacoma landmark is now a derelict disaster. We stood by and let it happen | Opinion
The News Tribune headline didn’t pull any punches — and it told no lies.
“Tacoma’s former Amtrak station trashed, burned, covered in graffiti,” the story last week by Craig Sailor declared.
“Who’s responsible?” it then asked, rather appropriately.
When it comes to a prominent, well-known and historically significant building that, through neglect, inattention and the general unraveling of society that surrounds us — like the plywood currently covering what seems like every other local business window — that’s undoubtedly the most pressing question.
A landmark that once welcomed visitors and travelers returning home to Tacoma is now an embarrassing eyesore. As Sailor reported, it’s a problem BNSF Railway bears ultimate responsibility for addressing, as the building’s current owner.
Still, who’s on the hook, so to speak, while crucial to know at this stage in the game, is followed closely by two even more pressing questions — inquiries that focus on the long term, and will likely prove much trickier to answer:
Is this building — and this long neglected part of Tacoma — something we actually care about? Like, really? Because history suggests otherwise.
And if we do care about the old Amtrak station — or you believe we should care about the vital corridor it calls home — who’s going to step up and actually do something about it?
Because this might be the best chance we’ll get — if we haven’t missed it already.
Let’s back up for a moment, and start with an acknowledgment.
I’m a middle-aged guy who has spent the vast majority of my life in and near Tacoma, and long as I’ve been here, the stretch of Puyallup Avenue the old Amtrak station calls home has never been something to brag about. It’s always been a place where the challenges society faces are on full display, while also serving as a prominent entry point to the city.
Way back when my dad would take us to Marilyn’s for dinner, a Puyallup Avenue diner that, at the most charitable, was as a greasy spoon consistent with the Tacoma many people will fondly recall from 30 years ago. It was a proudly blue-collar establishment, popular with truckers and longshoremen, a little rough around the edges, just like the area it called home — and just like the city itself.
The historical context this snapshot provides is important for two reasons:
It demonstrates that life on Puyallup Avenue has long been part of the fabric of Tacoma, hard realities and all.
At the same time, what has changed — and what hasn’t changed — highlights our failures.
Simply put: There’s no reason why city leaders or the rest of us should be content letting the area remain forsaken and neglected, even if that’s exactly what we’ve done over the years.
If we wanted to — “if” being the keyword — we could transform Puyallup Avenue and turn it into a place that reflects the Tacoma so many of us take pride in.
We could have done it a long time ago.
We could start tomorrow.
It doesn’t have to mean gentrifying away all the jagged bits and blemishes that have long defined it, either
In a perfect world, the city has the means to step in and turn the property into a valuable civic asset. It could be the kind of development that benefits people who live and work in the area, the kind of folks who once frequented Marilyn’s — like a hub that promotes industrial job readiness or workforce development.
It could even be one of those public-private investments we hear so much about, one that leverages the nearby public transit center.
Tacoma — and the people who care about the city — have done it before, with examples ranging from Old City Hall or the old Hilltop Rite Aid.
But suppose it’s too late for any of those possibilities now, which seems increasingly likely, considering that representatives from BNSF have told The News Tribune that the property is “in the process of being sold” and that “private entities were not excluded.”
If that’s the case, the sober reflection of where our priorities have been — as evidenced by the old derelict station — can’t be glossed over, overlooked or swept under the rug.
Yes, BNSF is ultimately responsible for the old station it owns, as The News Tribune’s reporting makes clear, but the city also has codes on the books designed to address problems like this — and the power to enforce them.
None of that has happened, at least until recently — when a journalist finally decided to ask about it.
As Sailor wrote: “After The News Tribune raised questions about the building’s safety with the city of Tacoma, a code inspector was sent to the site Sept. 6. The inspector confirmed graffiti violations and nuisance violations for overgrowth, garbage and debris.”
Just as easy as that. Lickety-split.
A subsequent public records request revealed that this year alone Tacoma Fire Department has responded to two debris fires at the old station, and two medical calls.
Meanwhile, city spokesperson Maria Lee said that Tacoma’s code enforcement procedure typically relies on complaints from residents and community to kick into action — and no such complaints have recently been filed.
The time the city had an open code compliance case at the address, Lee told me, was 2008 — roughly 15 years ago.
So what does this tell us, about the city’s response to such issues and about ourselves? It’s not complicated.
If addressing such a violation was a priority, it wouldn’t have taken a pesky reporter to get the ball rolling.
If we cared about this building — and the surrounding neighborhood — it wouldn’t have come to this. Instead, we stood by and let it happen.
Is this really what we want Puyallup Avenue to be?
They say actions speak louder than words — and in this case, it feels like the truth.
This story was originally published September 20, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
