TACOMA, Wash. – Tacoma community members are invited to celebrate the end of a sizzling summer full of outdoor events and family fun at the Historic Cushman Street Fair hosted by the North End Neighborhood Council on September 7, from 11 AM – 3 PM, at the intersection of North 21st and North Adams streets. The finale event of the Proctor Blocks summer event series will feature music, food, and lots of family-friendly activities on the streets surrounding the historic Cushman Substation.
“We know that Cushman Substation holds significant promise as a vital community asset. As we continue our public outreach on the future of this site, we invite you to share your ideas for the future,” said Mayor Victoria Woodards. “I want to thank the North End Neighborhood Council for hosting feedback tables at the upcoming Historic Cushman Street Fair to continue this momentum.”
Community members are also reminded to get their Visioning Survey responses in for the Cushman and Adams Substations Future Use Study before the survey closes on September 2.
“I have been very excited with the beginning stages of the community engagement process for the future re-use of the historic Cushman and Adams substations,” said Deputy Mayor John Hines. “Over the past few months, we have been collecting the thoughts and visions of many residents regarding the next phase for these community assets. With the upcoming Historic Cushman Street Fair, I am eager for more members of our community to visit the sites, join with their neighbors, and share their ideas for the future and how these properties can become spaces that reflect our needs and aspirations for Tacoma. Opportunities to reimagine a part of our city’s fabric like this do not come very often and we want to ensure that everyone in Tacoma can be part of shaping the vision for the future of the Cushman and Adams substations. The Historic Cushman Street Fair is a great place to be part of this important community conversation.”
In June 2024, community members participated in a series of “visioning workshops” to share ideas for the future of the Cushman and Adams substations. The workshops kicked off the Visioning Survey which, so far, has received more than 400 responses. The Historic Cushman Street Fair event on September 7 marks the transition from visioning and idea generation to analysis of possible future scenarios for the buildings and site. In October, community members will be invited to a new series of workshops to provide feedback on draft scenarios.
The Cushman and Adams substations were built in the mid-1920s to bring electricity from Cushman Dam to Tacoma. They were placed on the Tacoma Register of Historic Places in 2017. The designation includes the exteriors and surrounding sites of both buildings.
Tacoma Public Utilities expects utility operations at the Cushman Substation to end in 2027. The public engagement process on potential future uses for the buildings and property was originally initiated by the City Council in 2018 but put on hold in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More information is available at cityoftacoma.org/cushman.
