Tacoma's history is filled with the legacy of ethnically diverse neighborhoods, but their memory has been largely forgotten after residents were displaced by public projects such as Interstate 5. 

Historian Michael Sullivan will focus on the history of Tacoma's Hawthorne neighborhood/Puyallup Tribal campus and the working class neighborhoods erased by the Tacoma Mall.  He'll also examine the boarding house district between downtown and the Hilltop that was targeted by President Lynden B. Johnson's Model Cities Program and federal urban renewal projects of the 1960s, in addition to delving into what happened in the McKinley Hill district after the closure of the Northern Pacific Hospital. 

Michael Sean Sullivan is a public historian, writer, and historic preservationist. He has taught Pacific Northwest history at the University of Washington Tacoma for more than 20 years. Michael created the website TacomaHistory.live and co-produces the short form documentary series, Tacoma Home Movies. Michael co-founded the historic preservation firm, Artifacts Consulting, and he is an advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Michael is Board Chairmen for HistoryLink (the online Encyclopedia of Washington State History) and serves on the Governor's Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. 

Enjoy 15% off your hotel stay on History Pub nights! Show your ticket at check-in.

These events are open to everyone interested in Pacific Northwest history, and beyond! Often co-sponsored by local or state historical and civic organizations, we bring you experts, scholars, first-person experiencers, historians and documentaries expounding on topics from indigenous history to the birth of Portland, early explorers to hop growing, and on and on! It's like being back in the classroom - except this time you get to settle into comfortable seats and enjoy a drink or two with dinner while you listen and learn.

This event is eligible for a History Pub Stamp