1818 Tacoma Avenue had been one of Tacoma School of the Art locations for years, but they have left it in favor of the downtown post office building. The best thing about the building is the planters with student art work. I thought my photo was a tad dull so I added a frame and a flying saucer! A not edited (i.e. boring) photo is below, as is a close up of one of the planters.
Metro Parks Tacoma’s Star Center at 3873 S. 66th St., Tacoma, WA 98409 is very nice. Their website says “The 32,000 square foot STAR Center offers a stunning new hall for rentals, a new music and dance studio, a demonstration kitchen, fitness room, as well as a dynamic indoor/outdoor children’s playground with an adjacent party rental space.” What surprised me the most was the Subway Restaurant in the building. http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/star/
I was there for the kick off of the Prop 1 Campaign. The school bond, which will go on the ballot on February 12th, would provide much needed funding to renovate or replace 14 schools and would also make safety repairs and many other Tacoma schools. The 14 schools are Washington*, SAMI, McCarver*, Wilson, Stewart*, Wainwright, Arlington, Browns Pt., Lyon, Birney, Grant, Boze, Downing and Hunt. The schools with * will maintain their historic character. http://www.tacoma.k12.wa.us/information/Documents/Proposition%201%20brochure.pdf
Coming home I made a quick stop to snap this photo of the mural at the corner of South 14th Street and South G. Street. I was going to take the mural along South G Street in the same area, but there was a car that made me nervous so I decided to wait until another day. Safety first. The mural says St. Ignatius Immersion 2012.
Happy New Year. Dear daughter, her friend and I went downtown to First Night to ring in 2013. The theme is the Year of the Snake and the unofficial mascot seems to be Quetzalcoatl, which is cool since I had just checked out Tacoma’s Quetzalcoatl art in November. http://blog.firsttries.com/quetzalcoatl-mask/
LeRoy Jewelers had a wonderful Quetzalcoatl Mask in their store window. at 940 Broadway and they were welcoming people in from the cold for First Night. Besides wonderful jewelry, they offer arts and crafts in their Art Shop. It is always a pleasure to see their wares.
The site for the building had originally been occupied the Far West Lodging House, which was demolished. By 1928 the Metropolitan Chain Stores, Inc. was in place and then in 1961 it was the Lundquist Lilly Men’s Wear, which closed in 1968. LeRoy Jewelers moved into the building in 1970 and the clock on the sidewalk was installed in 1988. LeRoy means king in french.
