Two Events for the New Year

Here's advance notice for two events to add to your calendar for January:

Economic Development Through Historic Preservation
Rehabilitation of historic buildings in Pierce County from 2000 to 2004 annually generated $28.7 million in sales of products and services, supported 325 jobs, and added $11.1 million in wages to the economy. Statewide, rehabilitation of historic structures resulted in annual sales of $221 million, supporting 2,320 jobs producing $87 million in labor income. These are just two of the findings in the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation's (DAHP) recently released study, "The Economic Benefits of Historic Preservation in Washington State."

Representatives of participating preservation organizations and a local developer will be available to local media to discuss the study next Tuesday, January 2nd, beginning at 1:00 p.m. in the Passages Building (708 Broadway) lobby.

The event is co-sponsored by Historic Tacoma (a private not-for-profit grassroots organization dedicated to preserving Tacoma's architectural legacy through education and advocacy), the
City of Tacoma's Historic Preservation Program, the Governor's Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Washington State Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation, and the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.

Opening Celebration for Court 17
Members of the public are invited to get a glimpse of Tacoma's newest housing complex at the opening celebration of Court 17 on the University of Washington Tacoma campus. Court 17 is a public/private development consisting of a five-story, 128-unit apartment building and a three-story, 309-car parking garage.

The grand-opening ceremony is Wednesday, January 17th, beginning at 2:30 p.m. at the intersection of 17th and Market streets. Participants are invited to tour the Court 17 apartments and enjoy refreshments; the event is free and open to the public.

The market-rate apartments are owned and operated by Lorig & Associates; the garage is owned and operated by the university. The garage portion of the project was funded with $3 million provided for Phase 2 of campus construction, a $1 million low-interest loan from the City of Tacoma, $400,000 from other UW Tacoma funds and $3.1 million in bank financing. Both the garage and apartment complex were designed by Mithun Architects. The parking garage was constructed by Berschauer Phillips, and the housing complex was built by Walsh Construction Co.

The project is expected to help fuel the dramatic economic revitalization taking place around the UW Tacoma campus and draw people into the community to support amenities that benefit students, staff, faculty and the neighborhood.