Port City Turns Into a
Glass Blowing Haven
T
. h
Tacoma, Washington
he City of Tacoma, Washington was once a premier coastal port
of the Pacific Northwest. Now its main waterway, the Thea Foss, lays
vacant and underutilized because of perceived contamination from past
maritime activities. However, through the efforts of the city and EPA,
and with significant private sector financial support, Tacoma is turning
the land adjacent to the Thea Foss into a residential, commercial, and
cultural public esplanade.
The City of Tacoma was founded in 1884 and thrived both as the lumber
capital of the world and a maritime port. There were many uses for the
land along the waterway: truck storage, coal bunker operations, and a
heating oil distribution center. However, after the city's timber and port
activities relocated due to a shift in the market, Tacoma suffered
economic decline and unemployment rates began to rise. The Thea Foss
Waterway fell quickly into disuse—while perceived contamination and
liability risks rose.
The city purchased the 27-acres on the waterway in 1991, and by 1995
had started the clean up process of the uplands; it could now focus on
coordinating redevelopment efforts of the land adjacent to the Foss, as it
is known to residents. A Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot
award to the City of Tacoma from EPA in 1996 increased the likelihood
that the Thea Foss Waterway would eventually be revitalized. The city
and the Pilot worked together to form the Thea Foss Waterway Public
Development Authority (PDA), whose mission was to oversee and guide
all Pilot activities. The PDA took control of the land from the city in
1996. Pilot activity focused mainly on starting the revitalization
momentum and helping the city market the land along the Foss. In total,
the Pilot assisted in leveraging the $63 million needed for initial
redevelopment activities on the Foss, the majority of which came from
local and private sources.
The privately constructed Museum of Glass International Center for
Contemporary Art, which opened in July 2002, was conceived in the mid-
1990s as the first step of an impressive waterfront renewal plan devised
by the PDA. Inspired by the Tacoma native and renowned glass artist,
Dale Chihuly, and carried out by the museum's director and the
architecture firm designing the museum, the idea culminated in the $63
million structure, whose four-story cone is a landmark for travelers and
residents as they enter the city. The 1.6-acre museum site consists of an
exhibition studio, cafe, five outdoor installations, a gift shop, and a "hot
The Chihuly Bridge of Glass.
JUST THE FACTS:
• In total, the Pilot assisted in leveraging
the $63 million needed for initial
redevelopment activities on the Foss.
• Within the first six months of
operation, more than 185,000 visitors
came to the museum, contributing $17
million to the local economy.
The museum and bridge have been
called "an explosion of color" by the
New York Times and "spectacular" by
the Los Angeles Times.
The new museum and the
bridge have showed the world
"where we are and how far we
have come."
—Bill Baarsma, Mayor
City of Tacoma
continued
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shop" where the public can view the processes of glass blowing and cutting. The Pacific Northwest is
the heart of glass country in the United States, and the museum is a perfect fit for the city.
The museum was not enough for Chihuly; he wanted to create something for Tacoma that no other city
in the world had to offer, something that was full of color night or day. The result is the
Chihuly Bridge of Glass, which opened concurrently with the museum. Spanning 500
feet over Interstate-705 and a rail line, the bridge enables pedestrians to access
newly redeveloped areas along the Thea Foss Waterway by connecting the
waterfront with downtown Tacoma, which is also undergoing significant
renovation. The bridge is the largest permanent outdoor glass installation in the
world, featuring the Crystal Towers, two 40-foot tall towers of blue ice-
crystals; the Seaform Pavilion, consisting of over 1,500 seaforms (glass
sculptures that take the appearance of abstract sea creatures); and the
Venetian Wall, a glass enclosed case with 109 works of glass in the Venetian
style. The Tacoma Brownfields Pilot assisted in leveraging the $ 12 million
needed for the construction of the bridge, from both private sector and state
CONTACTS:
Famaeinfomnolicn contact
U.S. EPA REGION 10
(206)553-1200
Visitlhe EPA Brownfields Web site at:
sources.
Initially, museum marketers questioned whether anyone would come to Tacoma,
a city with a reputation as Seattle's poor, blue-collar cousin. However, both the
museum and the bridge have become instant successes. Within the first six months of
operation, more than 185,000 visitors came to the museum, contributing $ 17 million to the
local economy. Tourism agencies in nearby cities cannot keep up with the demand of people that
want to travel to Tacoma. The museum and bridge have been called "an explosion of color" by the New
York Times and "spectacular" by the Los Angeles Times.
In addition to the museum and bridge, the Pilot assisted in
leveraging funds for the $35 million Thea's Landing
redevelopment project, a mixed commercial and residential
building that opened in the Fall of 2002. Thea's Landing
now has 188 residential apartments, 47 condominium
homes and 431 parking stalls. In addition, the Albers Mill
development, the Albers Transient Moorage, and the
Foss Waterway Marina have all been completed and two
other museums have opened at the opposite end of the
Bridge of Glass: The Washington State History Museum
and the Tacoma Art Museum.
The Museum of Glass ceiling.
However, development along the Foss and in downtown
Tacoma is far from complete. Three other major mixed-use
projects incorporating condominiums, hotel, and office space are being developed along the waterfront
around Thea's Landing. The redevelopment has also created new residential areas in downtown Tacoma
with many former warehouses being converted into condominiums. This redevelopment has prompted
additional building renovations and a light-rail transit system for Tacoma.
Bill Baarsma, mayor of the city said that the new museum and the bridge have showed the world "where
we are and how far we have come." Currently, Tacoma's biggest problem is not how to revitalize its
blighted and disregarded areas, but rather how to handle all its visitors.
Brownfields Success Story
Tacoma, Washington
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA-560-F-06-231
August 2006
www. epa. gov/brownfields/
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