New hope emerges to clean up a closed Tacoma school some call a dangerous ‘derelict dump’

TACOMA, Wash. — A demolition permit proposal from the Tacoma Public School District to tear down several buildings on Tacoma’s abandoned and blighted Gault Middle School campus is expected to be reviewed by the City of Tacoma as early as Friday, May 14, 2021, according to a spokesman with the Tacoma Public School District.

The plan—which could cost the district $1 million—represents one of the most promising developments to clean up what neighbors have called “a derelict dump.” The Tacoma Public School District closed the school in 2009. Work could begin soon, depending on how soon the permit is issued, according to TPS.

The proposal would remove all structures—including a building with an indoor pool—except for the original brick building, which was built in 1926. The move is intended to make the seven-plus acre property more marketable to potential developers.

Plywood had covered most of the old windows which aren’t shattered at the school, which was originally dubbed “Gault Intermediate School.” Peeling paint and burn damage from endless arson attempts greet the eye at every entrance, which are covered in signs which warn of “danger” and “do not enter.”

At first glance, the exterior of the 96-year-old empty Gault Middle School building appears to be in serious disrepair, but those who have seen the inside report a hazardous, crumbling “hellscape,” where grass grows in the interior, ceilings have caved-in, and the air is so saturated with mold and asbestos particles, it’s been deemed too dangerous for a human to breathe, unless protected with a respirator and a hazmat suit. Homeless advocates hoping to use the space for shelter have been told exposure to the dangers are potentially extreme.

The deteriorating building also stands on a hilltop with stunning views of Mount Rainier.

“It’s more than an eyesore,” said a neighbor, who has owned a home across the street from the school for three decades. “It’s just dangerous, and cops won’t go in there when people break in. It’s killing property values, and nobody is hearing us. And the thing is, that place used to be really impressive.”

After serving generations of students the Gault Middle School has been empty since 2009, when the Tacoma Public School District made decisions based on shifting numbers of students. It’s been for sale ever since, and the site of several great ideas with detailed plans, but every plan has been scrapped when available funds faced the reality of the price tag for remediation, demolition and renovations.

All of my middle school experiences were here! I loved this school,” said DeMarcus Clark, who says he’s sickened when he sees what his old proud school has become. According to neighbors, the school has declined from just being a huge empty eyesore, to dangerously deteriorating, vandalized and even looted. Every boarded up entrance we saw shows the burned evidence of arson attempts. The interior is so filled with mold and asbestos, it’s been deemed too hazardous to even breathe the air.

“The building basically is not fit for human habitation. It is really unsafe,” said Tacoma Police spokesperson Wendy Haddow.

In November of 2020, the Gault Middle School building was suddenly the focus of headlines when a homeless advocacy group broke through chains and boards and moved a group of people inside who needed shelter from freezing temperatures. Police told KIRO-7 News they would not step inside the building without full hazmat gear.

When the group agreed to leave, even firefighters told me they would not go into the crumbling building—even though neighbors have reported seeing fires set inside here countless times. It’s a huge liability for taxpayers, because the school district still owns it. “Somebody’s going to get hurt and probably sue the school district.”

And yet, the school district’s tried for years to sell or transfer the property to a developer or a government agency with the money to restore it, or even demolish it and start something new.

“This building has no suitors,” said TPS spokesperson Dan Voelpel. “We have found no one willing to take on the headache of trying to rehabilitate it.”

Neighbor Jared Clark flew his drone to show us the big picture of the old sprawling complex on a seven acre plot—which includes a playfield—all of which has been appraised for only $1.7 million.

It’s obviously been decaying for years by looking at it.”

The roof and ceiling above a big swimming pool once run by the city are all caved in, and there are so many leaks and holes that grass grows inside the building.

Our best hope for the building has passed us by and that’s largely due to the economic downturn of the pandemic.

Just over a year ago, the Tacoma Housing Authority had big plans to invest in the building and pay to remodel it for mixed income housing lofts, a community space for performing and culinary arts and a lot more. But during the pandemic, all the funding disappeared.

If there’s a happy ending, it sure hasn’t been written yet.”

It keeps me up at night, it infuriates me,” said Tacoma City Councilmember Catherine Ushka, who represents a lot of angry neighbors who say their property values are profoundly affected by the dangerously blighted building. Ushka says she’s worked for years to find a suitor, or a solution.

“If there was a rock that I haven’t turned over, it’s not for a lack of trying,” she said.

Ushka says recently, there’s been rumblings of renewed interest in the property—which she’s hoping isn’t just talk—and the place might somehow be rehabilitated in a way which would again serve the community around it.

And it’s more conversations than I’ve heard for a long time so I’m hopeful. I’m more hopeful than I’ve been... probably ever,” she said.

Some neighbors told KIRO-7 News off camera they’ll only believe it when they see something positive actually happening here. “This swimming pool right here? Two bucks a day? Kept me out of trouble,” said Clark, who said he envisions an investment that will serve, and maybe even save people like he was, a long time ago.

“Me coming up here because my teachers cared so much about me kept me out of trouble,” he said. “This right here kept me out of trouble! Could we repurpose it for something else for the community?” Clark wants people to recall what this historic structure represented when it was erected to change lives.

“If they put the money into it, it would be worth it,” he said.

Cox Media Group