Monday May 5, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Cookies & Cider from 5:30 p.m.
Where:
University of Puget Sound
Welcome Center – 3211 N 15th St
Presentation Room (#102)
Virtual – Via Zoom
Meeting ID: 882 2046 7648
Passcode: 649767
The month of May is National Historic Preservation Month, dedicated to
recognizing the importance of our nation’s historical places.
This month’s meeting will have a presentation on the history of Tacoma’s Wright Park.
**The update on the Cushman/Adams Substations Future Use Study is to be rescheduled.
Meeting Agenda:
1) Call to order, adoption of agenda —
2) Introductions and welcome—
3) Announcements —
4) Approval of Minutes
5) Treasurer’s Report
6) Standard Liaison Reports
· Police
· Tacoma Public Utilities
· Fire Department
· Tacoma Parks
· City Manager’s Office
7) City Council Member Reports
8) Tacoma’s Wright Park: An Unwieldly Piece of Nature
Author Melissa McGinnis (bio. below) has researched the history of Tacoma's parks for more
than 20 years as an employee of Metro Parks Tacoma. She is the author of Tacoma's Parks,
Tacoma's Point Defiance Park and Tacoma's Wright Park.
9) **Cushman and Adams Substations Future Use Study – To Be Rescheduled
The City Council and Tacoma Public Utilities Board are considering the Future Use Study that has now been completed
and submitted.
Lauren Hoogkamer, Principal Planner – Planning & Development – City of Tacoma
Dr. John Gaines, Community Relations Manager – Tacoma Public Utilities
Mandi Roberts, AICP, PLA, Senior Vice President and Principal Planner, Otak, Inc.
March 2025 Draft Cushman and Adams Substations Future Use Report
10) Old Business
11) New Business
12) Adjournment
NOTE: Our next meeting will be Monday, June 2 when we will receive a presentation on the ONE TACOMA
Comprehensive Plan and hear from our 27 th Legislative Representatives on the outcome of the 2025
Legislative Session in Olympia
At Large and District Council Members:
https://www.cityoftacoma.org/government/city_council
CM John Hines represents citizens District 1
CM Sarah Rumbaugh represents citizens District 2
Three Council Members represents citizens in At-Large:
Deputy Mayor Kiara Daniels; Kristina Walker and Olgy Diaz
North End Neighborhood Council Board
Direct your questions or comments to: officers@gmail.com
Chair, Peter Bennett | Vice-Chair, Tobi Bet | Treasurer, Jodi Cook | Secretary, Bonnie O’Leary
Joe Tieger, Georgette Reuter, Geoff Corso, Danielle Villegas
Biography of tonight’s speaker – Melissa McGinnis
Born and raised in Florida, Melissa received a degree in history from the University of West
Florida. She started her career with the National Park Service as an historical interpreter at Gulf
Islands National Seashore and the Castillo de San Marcos. She then left the park service to run
an antebellum home in Birmingham, Alabama but missed the water so moved back to the coast
to run Fort Morgan; the site of Farragut's memorable quote "Damn the Torpedoes Full Speed
Ahead." Her next move took her to Historic St. Mary's City, Maryland's first capital. Her final
move was a major one – coming to Tacoma in 1990 to run Fort Nisqually Living History Museum.
Around this same time, many of Tacoma's parks began celebrating their centennials and it
became evident that the public was interested in learning more about their parks, so she was
asked to take up the challenge of researching and writing about the history of the Park District.
It was her honor and privilege to serve as the Historic and Cultural Resource Manager for
Tacoma’s parks for over 20 years.
More Opportunities to Celebrate National Preservation Month
May 10th @ 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Urban Grace: The Downtown Church: Celebrates 100-year Anniversary
Event: Tacoma Historic Tour of 8 Sacred Places including St. Luke’s Memorial Episcopal (1883), Immanuel Presbyterian
(1908), First Church of Christ – Scientist (1911), Peace Lutheran (1918), Bethany Presbyterian (1924), Urban Grace
(1925), Temple Beth El (1968), Christ Episcopal (1969)
https://www.urbangrace.org/event/historic-sacred-places-tour/
https://associatedministries.org/event/tacoma-historic-sacred-places-tour/
May 22nd (Start time TBD)
City of Tacoma Landmarks Preservation Commission
Event: Annual Historic Preservation Awards
Location: (tbd)
https://tacoma.gov/government/departments/planning-and-development-services/historic-preservation/may-is-historic-preservation-month/
May 22nd : Social @ 6:30pm; Program @ 7:00pm
North Slope Historic District
Event: Double-Feature: “A History of Garfield Gulch” and “A History of the Howard Carr Addition”
Location: Immanuel Presbyterian Church, 901 N J St
Note: Enter church using the basement door on N. 9th St.
May 26th @ 11:00am
Tacoma Historical Society and Edward B. Rhodes – Parkland American Legion Post 2
Event: 18 th Annual Day of Remembrance Memorial Day Service: Remembering 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War
Location: War Memorial Park, 6 th Ave & MacArthur St
Guest Speaker: Lt Col (Ret) Hank Cramer, son of the first Army KIA in Vietnam
Colors Presented by South Vietnam Veterans Color Guard, Vietnamese Cultural Center
Wreath Laying by Edward B. Rhodes Park and American Legion Post 2
Music by 133 Army Band Brass Quartet/Quintet Washington National Guard
https://tacomahistory.org/memorial-day-service
Virtual History Tours
Tacoma’s Cushman and Adams Substations
Produced by City of Tacoma
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak7z0OtMnRk
Cushman Commons: Our Big Vision
Produced by North End Neighborhood Council
http://cushmancommons.org/
Historic Homes and Architects in Old Town Tacoma
Produced by Job Carr Cabin Museum and Historic Tacoma
https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=historic+tacoma&mid=CA0752921C5345E0D7F3CA0752921C5
345E0D7F3&mcid=9A14233C351C49BEBE9940FC84E4E22E&FORM=VIRE
Self-Guided, Tacoma History Walking Tours
City of Tacoma’s collection of self-guided walking tours
https://tacoma.gov/government/departments/planning-and-development-services/historic-preservation/
Historic Tacoma’s collection of self-guided walking tours
https://historictacoma.org/historic.hemisphere.site/historic.hemisphere.site/historic.hemisphere.site/historic.hemisphere.site/tours
Job Carr Cabin Museum’s Old Town History Walks
https://historictacoma.org/historic.hemisphere.site/historic.hemisphere.site/historic.hemisphere.site/historic.hemisphere.site/tours
Pretty Gritty Tours
https://prettygrittytours.com/index.html
A Brief History of Historic Preservation Month
On October 26, 1949, Congress chartered the National Trust for Historic Preservation, initiating what has become a 76-
year effort to protect America’s historic places.
On February 15, 1973, Senator Henry M. Jackson (D-Washington), chairman of the Senate Interior and Insular Affairs
Committed, introduced a Joint Congressional Resolution to designate the week of May 6-12, 1973, as National
Preservation Week. The resolution was signed into law on May 5, 1973, and the nation celebrated the first National
Preservation Week, raising awareness of the importance of preserving our past for future generations.
In 2005, the National Trust for Historic Preservation successfully petitioned to extend the celebration to the entire
month of May establishing Preservation Month.
Today, local preservation groups, state historical societies, business and civic organizations celebrate the diverse and
unique heritage of our nation’s historical, cultural and national treasurers and promote the social, economic and
environmental benefits of preserving historic places.
A Sampling of Environmental Arguments in Support of Historic Preservation
National Trust for Historic Preservation (2011) The Greenest Building: Quantifying the Environmental Value of Building
Reuse.
https://living-future.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/The_Greenest_Building.pdf
Washington State Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation (2011) Executive Summary: Sustainability and
Historic Preservation.
https://dahp.wa.gov/sites/default/files/209SustainabilityStudy_ExecutiveSummary.pdf
Huy Pham (August 15, 2023) Preservation and Housing: A Washington Trust Position Paper. Washington Trust for
Historic Preservation.
https://preservewa.org/housing/
PlaceEconomics (August 2024) The YIMBY Movement: Historic Preservation’s Response.
https://www.placeeconomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/YIMBY-White-Paper-1.pdf
Kimberly Schutte, PhD (2021). Historic Preservation and Sustainability: The Greenest Building is the One That’s Already
Built. City of St, Joseph, MO.
https://www.stjosephmo.gov/DocumentCenter/View/14842/Historic-Preservation-and-Sustainability-PDF