New Salishan: Celebrating 20 Years
Thursday, April 28 - 7pm
Premiering on Thursday, April 28 at 7pm and available thereafter, Tacoma Historical Society is pleased to share this video honoring the re-development of Salishan. This film was first shared with those in attendance at our 14th Annual Destiny Dinner, which took place at the Eastside Community Center on April 2, 2022. The event honored those who made New Salishan possible; Michael Mirra, recently retired executive director of Tacoma Housing Authority, was honored with the 2022 Star of Destiny Award for his leadership role in the project.
In 2002 a planned community for affordable housing and home ownership in the Salishan area of the East Side was nothing more than an architect's rendering on a sheet of paper pinned to a wall at the Tacoma Housing Authority's office. The challenge for the Housing Authority was how to parlay a $36 million Hope VI federal grant into a $300 million finished product. Then a visionary THA board and the transformative leadership of Director Michael Mirra and his talented staff got to work. By 2007, the remarkable success of Tacoma's New Salishan Community had made the front page of the New York Times. By 2015, New Salishan had garnered a total of 12 local, regional, and national awards for excellence. It was described as simply the most remarkable achievement of its kind in the nation.
Director of Photography/Editor: Jessie Koon
Produced by Tacoma Historical Society
Agency: Madcap Marketing