Rare opportunity to check out Tacoma's historic Cushman Substation September 22!

September 19, 2018 8:41 am
The Cushman Dam and its substations changed the history of publicly owned power systems in 1924. Image courtesy of Tacoma Public Library's Northwest Room.
The Cushman Dam and its substations changed the history of publicly owned power systems in 1924. Image courtesy of Tacoma Public Library's Northwest Room.

By Morf Morford
Tacoma Daily Index

Many of us drive by this huge old building on North 21st, just east of Proctor, all the time. Few of us have been able to even see inside of this architectural wonder.

On September 22, for the first time, probably in that building’s history, it will be open to the public for a limited time. **

**Clarification/ update at 9/20/2018 11:20 a.m.:  1) No one is allowed in the building. Per the poster, people will be able to have a “peek” inside from the large roll up garage door that faces east towards N. Washington. From that vantage point they will be able to see the 50 ton crane; and the immense 2 story front half of the building. The space is only used now for storage, and is pretty dusty.   2) Thus, the University of Puget Sound’s various performers will be in front of the building, at the base of the stairs. 

If you are curious about this building or have some thoughts about its future use, don’t miss this opportunity to see this classic building up close.

Live music will be provided by the University of Puget Sound.

CushmanSubstationPoster-WEB2

I have not been in there, but my bias is that the place must have incredible acoustics that would be ideal for a performance space. Or a year-round farmers market. Or any kind of all-season community or neighborhood use.

As of the end of August, 2018 for the first time since 1926, Cushman Substation is not an active part of Tacoma’s electrical system. Over the next few months, equipment will be removed from the site- with a goal to complete that by the end of the year.

The property, currently owned by TPU (Tacoma Public Utilities) will be ceded to General Government by the end of 2021.

Many municipalities have converted their solid and historic industrial spaces to practical and sometimes innovative uses from offices spaces to schools or living units.

You can see a few of these uses here – https://www.dwell.com/article/7-warehouse-conversions-turning-industrial-buildings-into-modern-commercial-spaces-a44118b8 or https://www.themodernhouse.com/journal/converted-industrial-spaces-for-modern-living-industrial-revolution/.

Many urban designers see these warehouse or industrial spaces as something like a blank slate – open to a multitude of community, commercial or residential uses.

Come to this event and bring your ideas and energy. Opportunities like this come up once in a lifetime of a neighborhood. Bring your vision for this unique space, there will be an opportunity to write down and share your ideas for the space.

If you need a bit of a reminder of what the possibilities are, take a look at this profile of warehouse and industrial space reclamation projects from around the world – https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/26/world/industrial-renovation-one-square-meter/index.html.

The Cushman Dam and its substations changed the history of publicly owned power systems in 1924. Image courtesy of Tacoma Public Library's Northwest Room.
The Cushman Dam and its substations changed the history of publicly owned power systems in 1924. Image courtesy of Tacoma Public Library’s Northwest Room.

The Cushman Substation has been a (barely noticed) landmark in Tacoma for over 90 years.

With those soaring roof lines, vast windows (have you seen them lit up in the evening?) and classic architectural shape, it is adaptable to a multitude of uses.

If you’d like to volunteer to help set up (or clean up) for this event, please go to the website nenc.org.

 

** Edited and updated at 9/20/2018 11:20 a.m.