NEW LIFE. The Bonnell Building, former home to the Mecca Adult Theater, will be reborn as a brew pub and possibly a new location for the Grand Cinema. (PHOTO BY HARALD HOHENDORF)
Downtown Tacoma’s last adult movie theater is gone for good, and plans for how to turn its building into something more palatable for a larger audience are already brewing.
The Bonnell Building on Broadway, which once housed the Mecca Theater, will soon become home to the Mecca Lounge, a stylish brewpub and bar that will serve high-quality food and drink and use the theater space for less-scandalous films.
Tacoma-based development firm The Gintz Group is co-investor in the project with Pat Nagle, owner of the Harmon Brewery and Restaurant. With their combined expertise, they expect to bring an “upscale product” to Tacoma’s thriving downtown area.
“Broadway is ripe for renovating,” Ron Gintz of the Gintz Group remarked. “We’ll do a nice job.”
Nagle said that he had wanted to “invest in downtown Tacoma,” and is eager to improve the area. Gintz added that it’s good to help “anytime you can make the community better.”
The top two floors of the building, which were once the Stothart Hotel that have long stood empty, will be demolished and rebuilt into 12 new condos. The building also has 6,000- square-feet on Commerce Street, which will appropriately be turned into commercial space.
Nagle said that the new restaurant would brew some of its own quality beers in-house, but would also keep brand names on tap and possibly bring in some specialty beers from the Harmon.
“It will be a nice bar,” Nagle commented.
Although nothing is set at this point, Nagle expects to have a “select” menu with a relatively small number of high-quality choices. The focus, he explained, will be on the bar and theater, which could also offer house-brewed beers to go.
Of utmost importance, he emphasized, will be excellent service that will help to set the ambiance for the lounge-style bar.
Gintz isn’t at all worried that the old Mecca’s reputation could hurt the business. On the contrary, he’s making sure the building’s rich history is part of the fun.
The “Mecca” and “Adult Films” signs from before the conversion will be embedded in the lounge’s walls as a tip of the hat to the building’s past. The famous doors from former Mecca owner Jerry Holt’s peepshow booths will be displayed in a similar fashion with a “behind closed doors” motif.
The theater will serve as a dining room where patrons can enjoy films along with the fine food and drink.
Gintz hopes that the relocating Grand Cinema will be willing to take up residence in the theater space or possibly the building’s Commerce Street level. He believes that it would only make sense for the Grand to be located in the Theater District, and that it would be profitable for both the Grand and the surrounding eateries.
If that doesn’t work out, Nagle suggested that the theater could also be rented out for private gatherings and parties.
The top-floor demolition and other renovations are set to begin next month.
The Gintz Group is also looking into buying into a partnership with the current owner of the troubled Fawcett Building in hopes of renovating that as well.
