Brick & Stone Episode 3 | Stadium High School
Brick and Stone: Celebrating Tacoma's Architectural Legacy
Episode 3: Stadium High School
It’s hard to imagine a Tacoma without its Brown Castle - our very own Hogwarts as it is often referred to.
If it weren’t for a railway company's luxury hotel vision and a looming financial crisis, this legendary high school would cease to exist.
Originally envisioned by its financers, the Northern Pacific Railroad Company and Tacoma Land Company, the building was designed by architectural firm Hewitt & Hewitt to become a first-of-its-kind, opulent hotel named the “Tourist Hotel” - a lavish stop for riders among the bustling and prominent railway. It was an ambitious undertaking, but construction began in 1890 and was well underway when events eventually took a turn. The Panic of 1893 and the subsequent economic depression ensued and funding dried up. Construction came to a halt and the project was boarded up for years. In 1898 a fire, who’s origins never were discovered, destroyed all the wooden portions of the partially complete hotel, leaving only the foundation and brick walls intact.
In 1903 the hotel’s remains were set to be demolished, primarily to salvage the bricks. That was until the Tacoma School Board recognized the site's potential and opted to repurpose the unfinished building into a high school. This decision had a significant impact on not only the building's architectural history, but the city’s as well.
Several architectural modifications were necessary to adapt the hotel into a high school. Local, renowned architect Frederick Heath was hired to redesign the building for its new purpose. The result was a distinctive blend of architectural styles, primarily incorporating elements of the French Châteauesque and Romanesque Revival styles. His design features grandeur turrets, parapets, dormer windows, arched doorways, and windows, as well as decorative, original brickwork from the hotel, giving the school its iconic castle-like appearance. It is said the design was a copy of an old fortified manor near Tours, on the River Loire south of Paris.
Construction on the high school began in 1904 with contractor George Evans leading the project to completion in just 2 short years. Tacoma High School, as it was originally named, officially opened its doors to 878 students and 38 teachers in September 1906. The famed Stadium Bowl was another of Heath’s designs and was completed and opened in 1910 with a whopping capacity of 32,000. It served as the main venue for school athletics and major civic events as well. Eventually, when Lincoln High School opened in 1913, Tacoma High School was renamed to Stadium High School.
It would be decades before another Heath would bring the spotlight back to the high school. In 1999 the acclaimed film 10 Things I Hate About You featuring Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles and Joseph Gordon-Levitt hit theaters and solidified Stadium’s place on the map as a recognized and sought after landmark.
This historic school has lived as many lives as the stories it’s portrayed on the silver screen; and its tale will continue far into the future, as long as students haunt its halls. Today, Stadium High School stands as a testament to adaptive reuse and the preservation of historic architecture. Its striking design and scenic location continue to captivate those who visit or study within its historic walls.
