HISTORY.

The space currently known as Tollefson Plaza was unveiled to Tacoma on April 22, 2006 as Pacific Plaza. Its name changed later that same year when the Tacoma City Council renamed the Plaza to Harold M. Tollefson Plaza.

Shortly after its opening, Project for Public Spaces (PPS), a consulting team, visited Tacoma and led a workshop that helped local stakeholders define a preferred future for the Plaza.

One of the key goals that rose from this workshop was the consistent programming and management of the Plaza. PPS recommended that it be managed by a non-profit entity similar to that of Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland, Ore. and Bryant Park in New York, two of their case studies.