From Washington to you
10 Things I Hate About You
Stadium High School · Pierce County · released 1999
Padua High was Stadium High. Heath Ledger’s Shakespeare rewrite pretended the brick castle in Tacoma was a Seattle school.
The Seattle Times says Stadium High School in Tacoma was cast as Padua High in the 1999 Heath Ledger Shakespeare-inspired teen romance 10 Things I Hate About You, even though the movie is nominally set in Seattle.
The same Times piece says the building began as a French-château luxury hotel in 1891, became Tacoma High School in 1906, gained Stadium Bowl in 1910, and took its present name in 1913. An interior remodel from 2004 to 2006 turned the cafeteria featured in the film into a library.
It is still a public high school. The Times notes that Pretty Gritty Tours sometimes walks the halls when students are gone. The pin is the castle above Commencement Bay, not a Seattle soundstage.
- Pop Culture
Sources (1)
journalism · Tier B
The Seattle TimesStadium High School in Tacoma gives you at least 10 things to love
Last reviewed: September 22, 2026
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