Swiss Hall - Union Depot-Warehouse Historic District - Tacoma, WA
Posted by: 
Hikenutty
N 47° 14.688 W 122° 26.348
10T E 542445 N 5232520
The Swiss hall was built in 1913 to serve as a meeting place, dance hall and pub for the "Swiss Society", a fraternal organization. The building is owned by the University of Washington now and leased to merchants.
Waymark Code: WM3287
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 01/28/2008
Views: 66
The following text is from tacoma4culture.org's brochure on the Union Depot-Warehouse Historic District:
The Swiss Society built their half-timbered hall between the jobbers' district and the ethnic neighborhoods above Market Street. The hall's distinctive tower once marked the southern edge of Tacoma's open-air markets. Japanese grocers and merchants lined Market Street to the north. Scandinavian, Italian, German and Southern European immigrants settled in the wood frame houses up the hill. Warehousemen, wagon drivers and shipping clerks worked in the warehouse district just below. To the south there were several of the Northwest's best breweries.
Since it was built there has been a pub operating on the bottom floor of Swiss Hall. Over the years it has seen varying states of decay, however the current pub, "The Swiss" is a welcoming, beautiful spot to stop in for a beer. The long hand carved antique bar is amazing, and overhead is an installation of 8 pieces of Dale Chihuly's Venetian glass series. Chihuly, the world renowned glass artist, grew up in Tacoma and was so impressed with the changes in the pub that he asked the owners if they would be interested in installing glass over the bar. So the Swiss can call itself the only bar in the world with a Chihuly installation.