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- Title:
- Michael Sullivan interview
- Interviewee:
- Sullivan, Michael, 1950-
- Interviewer:
- Wadland, Justin
- Date Created:
- 2017-09-21
- Role:
- Community member
- Department:
- City of Tacoma; Historic Preservation Office; Artifacts Consulting
- Subjects:
- Charles Moore Dale Chihuly Artifacts Prairie Line Transcontinental Railroad Union Station Historic Preservation Office Warehouse District Urban Waters
- Biography:
- Born in Seattle, Washington, in 1950, Michael Sullivan moved around with his family from Spokane to Oregon and Texas. He studied theater at UCLA in the 1960s and later obtained his master's and doctorate degrees in history from Western Washington University and University of Washington. Upon completion of his PhD program, he worked as the historic preservation officer for City of Tacoma and soon after came to head the newly established Cultural Resources Division from 1990 until 1995. In this period, Tacoma's Warehouse District underwent renovation to transform into the University of Washington Tacoma campus, paralleling a "cultural renaissance" in the city that saw the renewal of downtown historic buildings, such as the Pantages Theater and Union Station. Sullivan played a key role in these restoration projects. In 1997, after he left City of Tacoma, he co-founded Artifacts Consulting, Inc., an architectural conservation firm. He is now the the principal and historian of Artifacts Consulting. And he also serves as a Washington State advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and chairs its Public Policy Committee. He has taught a course on the history of Tacoma and the Pacific Northwest at the University of Washington Tacoma for 20 years, from 1994 until 2015. He helped to develop the Tacoma Community History Project, a digital archival collection housed at the UWT Library.
- Description:
- In the interview, Sullivan describes the building of the University of Washington Tacoma campus, addressing themes of architecture, historic preservation, urban design, and warehouse district revitalization. He recalls working in the capacity of the city's historic preservation officer to review the campus location and facilitate its construction. In addition, together with fellow architect Valerie Sivinski at their firm Artifacts, he advised on building renovations as a conservator. The bulk of the interview includes a discussion on how UW Tacoma came to be placed in its downtown location. Sullivan details the involvement of esteemed architect Charles Moore and his myriad thoughtful, intellectually grounded design ideas: elevated sidewalks converted from loading docks, pavement patterns reminiscent of railroad tracks, parchment-colored concrete floor that references the place's industrial origin and new academic purpose. Sullivan further elaborates on the decision to respect the historic Prairie Line, the terminus of the Northern Transcontinental Railroad, and the significance to treat it as a central organizing point to the layout of the campus. Sullivan then comments on the transformation of downtown since the late 1980s, with its new purpose in education and culture. He muses on Dale Chihuly's rise as a prominent artist. The interview concludes with Sullivan's remarks on how the political force formed by Booth Garner, Brian Ebersole, and Lorraine Wojahn aided the growth of UW Tacoma; he praises the university's contribution to economic justice and suggests its future role in equity issues within the city.
- Location:
- United States--Washington (State)--Tacoma
- Type:
- Sound; Text; StillImage
- Format:
- cpd
- Preferred Citation:
- University of Washington Libraries, University of Washington Tacoma Library, UWTOH201701