Construction crews moved into North Slope Historic Park this week and began pulling out the playground equipment that has stood at the corner of North 8th and North K Streets since 2002. The $160,000 rebuild will bring round covered swings kids can crawl inside, a small climbing structure with two slides, and ADA-compliant engineered wood fiber surfacing to the tiny 0.23-acre park by fall.
Crews began removing the aging play equipment on August 10, according to KOMO News, which reports the project is expected to wrap up this fall. That timeline marks a shift from earlier estimates; Parks Tacoma had previously projected completion in late spring or summer, a scheduling adjustment not unusual for municipal construction work.
The park itself carries a layered history that predates its life as a playground. Before it was green space, the 0.23-acre parcel belonged to Tacoma City Light, now known as Tacoma Power, which ran it as an electrical substation distribution yard from 1951 to 1983, with transformers disconnected and removed once active service ended, according to Parks Tacoma.
From Substation to Neighborhood Landmark
The lot sat vacant for years afterward, and neighbors organized to keep it from becoming an apartment building. The North End Neighborhood Council secured funding through the Thea Foss Bond Issue, and the City of Tacoma acquired the land in April 2001, per the same Parks Tacoma account. The park officially opened on June 8, 2002, dedicated to former Tacoma Historic Preservation Officer Valerie Sivinski, who helped establish the historic district before her death in 2000. It still features a public art memorial of carved marble books created by sculptor Keith Phillips.
That preservation legacy comes with real design constraints today. The park sits inside the North Slope Historic District, which encompasses more than 950 properties and ranks among the largest residential historic districts in the country, according to the Parks Tacoma project page. Any physical changes to the park, including new play equipment, must be reviewed and approved by Tacoma's Landmarks Preservation Commission before crews can break ground.
Neighbors Pushed for Nature-Based Design
More than 325 people weighed in on what the new playground should look like, KOMO News reports, with community input emphasizing nature-based play and pushing designers to maximize use of the small footprint. Beyond swapping out the play structures, the project extends accessible sidewalks, plants new trees, and relocates an on-site power pole out of the open play lawn.
The $160,000 project draws on the $198 million park bond Tacoma voters approved in November 2014, the largest park bond in the district's history. Parks Tacoma manages 53 playgrounds citywide and generally replaces equipment after about 20 years to keep pace with modern safety and accessibility standards, which is what put North Slope's 2002-era structures on the list.
Part of a Five-Park Overhaul
North Slope is one of five aging playgrounds Parks Tacoma is replacing this year, alongside Oakland Madrona, Alderwood, Lincoln Heights, and Cloverdale parks, all selected because they were among the oldest in the system. Oakland Madrona in South Tacoma was first out of the gate, reopening with nature-inspired wooden equipment in late January and celebrating with the community in March. An opening celebration is expected to follow once construction wraps at North Slope as well.
With the 2014 bond funds nearly spent, Parks Tacoma has proposed a new $155 million bond measure for the 2026 ballot to fund replacement of at least 10 more aging playgrounds and four spraygrounds, targeting facilities built between 1996 and 2009. It is the agency's latest bid to keep its citywide play spaces current as construction continues on North Slope's own long-overdue update.
