March 2023 at Old City Hall
So many folks ask us when Old City Hall will start chiming once again.
Installed in 1904, the bells in OCH's tower are synonymous with the building as a whole. We plan to honor that by keeping their telltale chime in a modern and safe way! Before restoration, the bells were seismically unsafe and put the structural integrity of our landmark at risk. So, we've come up with a creative solution! We were lucky enough to acquire the original sheet music of OCH's bells which we'll use to recreate their chime with stunning accuracy. The recreation uses the exact same tones heard in the original, so the modern version will be virtually indistinguishable from the original---just a whole lot safer! You'll be able to hear them chiming day in and day out for the city to enjoy after we open in 2024!
Alongside the restructuring of the clock tower, we are also performing seismic retrofitting in four areas of the building. Steel bars will extend over twenty feet (the length of an Orca whale!) into the soil, providing extraordinary support to help Old City Hall stand strong for decades to come.
We are so proud to be restoring one of Tacoma's most iconic landmarks and making it into a place the entire city can enjoy. 2024 can't come soon enough!
