About this Event
Founding tickets are $50 through October 6.
Tacoma Rising and Pretty Gritty Tours invite you to see one block of downtown Tacoma in a way you never have.
It starts with a tour led by our friend Chris Staudinger of Pretty Gritty Tours. You'll visit four sites at 11th and Broadway and learn their history and how the block ended up where it is today:
- The LeRoy is home to LeRoy Jewelers. It's three stories, with its front door on Broadway and a second-floor entrance that opens out the back onto Court C.
- The Merit is a site ready for something new.
- The Woolworth is stuck in time and closed to the public, so what's inside stays a mystery. Its exterior is full of opportunity.
- The Broadway Plaza is the public space tying the block together.
Then the room goes to work. Reid Fetters of Tacoma Rising and Chris lead a presentation and live charrette, where you'll use your phone to help design what comes next while the ideas appear on the big screen. The ideas Tacoma chooses become the official brief for university teams at the Rising Cities Challenge in April 2027.
The Night
- 4:00 PM: Networking with hot apple cider and light snacks
- 4:30 PM: The Pretty Gritty Tour
- 5:15 PM: Presentation and live charrette with Reid and Chris
- 6:00 PM: The final vote
- 6:30 PM: Wrap
Includes the tour, the live charrette, networking opportunities, hot apple cider, and light snacks.
Back from the Dead is Part One of Vacancy to Activation, Tacoma Rising's year-long program for 11th and Broadway.
Questions? Email [email protected].
Students: $25 tickets are available. Email [email protected] with your school email or a photo of your student ID to receive your ticket code.
Photo & Video Release: Back from the Dead will be photographed, filmed, and recorded. By attending, you consent to Tacoma Rising, The Rising Cities, and their partners using your image, likeness, and voice in photos, video, and audio for promotional, educational, and marketing purposes, in any media, without compensation. If you prefer not to be photographed, please let a staff member know at check-in.
Event venue & nearby stays
UrbanWork Rhodes Center, 950 Broadway, Tacoma, United States
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