Tacoma Public Schools to sell Willie Stewart Academy complex. Here’s what we know

Willie Stewart Academy students will be relocated as Tacoma Public Schools looks to sell its Tacoma Avenue South property.

The two-building property, at 1818 Tacoma Ave. S., was listed on Jan. 3 for $1.39 million. TPS determined the building to be surplus, and the school board authorized the sale in the summer.

Willie Stewart Academy offers an individualized approach for students ages 17 to 21 to earn their diploma, according to Tacoma Public Schools. The school was named after Tacoma Public School District’s first Black principal. There are 184 students enrolled.

The school will continue its classes at the 1818 Tacoma Ave. S. location before transitioning to its new home on the ground floor at 9th and Broadway in downtown Tacoma on Feb. 3.

The new Willie Stewart Academy school will be fully renovated to include classrooms, student gathering areas, offices, meeting rooms, restrooms and a staff break room and kitchen. The project is funded by the $535 million school construction bond voters approved in 2020.

Tacoma Online and the district’s Athletic Offices will be on the first floor and School of Tacoma Arts will continue to occupy the top floor of the building.

The 1818 Tacoma Ave. S. property has a 6,000-square-foot building with frontage along Tacoma Avenue South and a 1,500-square-foot garage, which has been most recently used for miscellaneous furniture storage. The school was built in 1919 and was renovated in 1975.

The entire parcel is 19,000 square feet. It has 11 parking spaces and all utilities are available. The property is zoned downtown residential. The property is near the University of Washington Tacoma’s master plan area.

Site and building tours will be held Thursday and next Tuesday at 4 p.m. For tours and more information about the property, contact Larry Hosley with Tacoma Commercial Brokers at lhosley@nventure.com or 253-307-3406.

The district will begin to review offers after Feb. 13. The school board will hold a public hearing and will need to approve the sale. If there is more than one sale offer, TPS will review to recommend to the board. The school district can’t accept less than 90 percent of the listing price, according to Alicia Lawver, TPS director of strategic planning.