Learn from the Loss of the Luzon

New exhibit commemorates the historic loss 10 years ago of the Luzon Building and urges Tacomans to be vigilant
Day 1

Day 1

Ran out of floor paint!

Day 2

Day 2

Floor drying & paint title on windows

Day 3

Day 3

Rick building the backdrop structure

Day 4

Day 4

The three artists transfer building to sheets as backdrop

Day 5

Day 5

Start of Day 5

Day 5+

Day 5+

Another shot of artists Lynn Di Nino & Jori Adkins gettiing ready to sponge bricks on building

Day 7

Day 7

Day 6 & 7 were too busy for photos. This is from the end of Day 7.

Day 7+

Day 7+

The final outcome

The final outcome

This is the completed exhibit, in the Old Woolworth’s Building window on the corner of Commerce and 11th in Downtown Tacoma.

  • “Lost Urgency: The Luzon Building”  Icon: PDF
    Historic Tacoma board member, Jennifer Mortensen's powerful article in the 2010 Trust News, “Lost Urgency: The Luzon Building” describing the Luzon story and what we might learn from it..
  • Luzon Artifacts Inventory  Icon: PDF
    This study was commissioned by the City of Tacoma in 2011. The report includes the original nomination of the building to the National Register of Historic Places.

Early Saturday morning on September 26, 2009, the City of Tacoma had the historic Luzon building demolished despite efforts by local preservationists. The building had local and national historic designation. In 1979, the entire 1300 block of Tacoma’s Pacific Ave had been placed on the Washington Heritage Register and National Register of Historic Places. By 1985, the Luzon was the last one standing. In June 2009, developer Dan Putnam sent a complaint letter to the city, stating that the Luzon was an “embarrassment” and an “aesthetic blight” on the neighborhood. 

Chicago architects Burnham & Root designed the Luzon building in 1890/1891. It was one of the first high-rise towers on the West Coast. The engineering model of the Luzon would be copied and opened the door to the development of “skyscrapers”. Cast iron columns allowed the building to soar above all others in 1890’s Tacoma.

Artists Lynn Di Nino, Jori Adkins and Claudia Riedener created the Luzon exhibit in the Woolworth window to commemorate the historic loss 10 years earlier and to urge Tacomans to be vigilant and protect our built environment, to leave a legacy for future generations and to be more ecologically sensitive by keeping serviceable buildings from the landfill. 

The location of the Woolworth building, ironically, was the site of another historic Burnham & Root – the Fidelity Building, demolished in 1949. 

Follow the links below for other resources and more information about the Luzon Building.