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PHOTO BY JOHN LARSON

DAMAGED GOODS. A car that went down the Spanish Steps damaged the columns along the landing - just one example of the wear and tear the landing has endured. The city of Tacoma plans to repair damaged sections of the Spanish Steps.

City lands funding to repair Spanish Steps

By John Larson

The Spanish Steps, the grand staircase that connects Broadway and Commerce Street, is due for a makeover. Tacoma City Council passed a resolution May 22 that authorizes the city to receive $944,000 from Washington State Department of Transportation. The money will be deposited into the cityâ??s Streets Special Revenue Fund and will pay for design and repair work.

While the steps are adjacent to the old Elks building and are connected to it structurally, they are owned by the city. The Elks building was recently purchased by a developer.

The work will tie in to the Broadway local improvement district, a project that encompasses upgrades to underground utilities, sidewalks and streets in the surrounding neighborhood.

Leigh Starr, the assistant manager of the engineering division with the cityâ??s Public Works Department, noted the staircase has suffered from neglect and abuse over the years. A few years ago a motorist lost control of a car, which went down the first flight of stairs from Broadway and took out some of the columns on the landing. One goal of the project is to prevent other cars from making the same wrong turn in the future.

The city hired a consultant to assemble a historic structure report. The consultant reviewed old photographs and evaluated repair work done in the 1930s. This work has helped city staff understand what the steps looked like when they were built, Starr said. Â

Starr is working with Rueben McKnight, the cityâ??s historic preservation officer, to ensure the repairs fit with the stepsâ?? original design. â??We want to restore it to its historical nature,â?? Starr remarked.

The city currently has three consultant service contracts related to the Spanish Steps. Artifacts Consulting is advising on the historic accuracy of the repairs. A geotechnical engineering firm is examining destabilization of the slope south of the steps, and a structural engineering firm is designing a wall that would shore up the slope. Starr said the plan is to stabilize the slope before it suffers serious erosion. â??We want to cover our bases now,â?? he said.

Construction work will likely begin in summer 2008.

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