project background

The City of Tacoma, WA in partnership with Metro Parks Tacoma is seeking an artist or artist team to create a permanent public artwork or series of artworks for the Water Flume Line Trail and Oak Tree Park (two adjoining facilities). The Water Flume Line Trail is a historic corridor that is being rebuilt into a six-and-a-half mile long path for bicyclists and pedestrians that will connect South Tacoma to downtown Tacoma and the waterfront, starting at the south end of Oak Tree Park. The selected artist or team will help increase visibility for Oak Tree Park and the Water Flume Line Trail (between S. 80th and S. 47th), connect both assets to the surrounding community, and enhance the user experience. 

 BACKGROUND 

This public art project is part of two capital improvement projects in South Tacoma: The City of Tacoma’s restoration of the Water Flume Line Trail, and Metro Parks Tacoma’s improvements of Oak Tree Park. The two projects are geographically connected, and are both part of a larger effort to restore and reclaim green space and public trails in and around Tacoma. The final artwork or series must be a permanent public artwork or series, and should help increase the visibility of the park and trail, connect both assets to the surrounding community, and enhance the user experience. The location of the artwork(s) must relate to both the Water Flume Line Trail and Oak Tree Park (see maps at the end of this document), but the selected artist or team will be encouraged to study the site and make suggestions as to the exact location of the final artwork(s). 

 ABOUT OAK TREE PARK

Oak Tree Park is a 25 acre park that comprises one of the last remnants of the native Garry oak habitat in the area. The park was established in 1996 and was a pilot project of the Green Tacoma Partnership, a collaborative effort to inventory and assess Tacoma's green spaces and develop a plan for their protection and restoration. The Green Tacoma Partnership is coordinated by Tahoma Audubon and Forterra. Oak Tree Park is a natural refuge tucked away in an otherwise busy residential and commercial area. With its small system of trails and the newly developed Water Flume Line Trail running through it, the park is a pleasant retreat from the surrounding development. 

ABOUT THE WATER FLUME LINE TRAIL 

The Water Flume Line Trail follows the path where a wooden structure, or flume, carried water from Spanaway Lake into Tacoma over a century ago. The water carried through the flume supplemented a collection of existing wells, springs, and small communal water supplies to serve the early citizens of Tacoma and settled areas of Rigney Hill, Edison, and Fern Hill. 

The water right of way also included a trail that commenced construction in 1898. Much of the old trail was built of wooden planks and iron straps to hold it in place. A bicycle bridge 12 feet wide by 405 feet long was built 110 feet over a gulch in Tacoma, near the Holy Rosary Church (at S. 30th & S. Delin Street), to improve access for early bicyclists, known locally as “The Wheelmen.” The trail eventually stretched southeast from Tacoma to Eatonville and the foothills of Mount Rainier.

In time, the water flume line was decommissioned and replaced by pipelines, wells, and pump houses. However, the pump houses seen along the new Water Flume Line Trail are still operational and provide water during periods of high demand or low river water. The Water Flume Line Trail restoration is part of a larger effort to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety throughout the city. Once completed, it will connect South Tacoma with downtown and will be part of an important trail system that is being built and reclaimed in and around Tacoma. Nearby and connecting trails include: Prairie Line Trail, Pipeline Road Trail, Scott Pierson Trail, Ruston Way Waterfront, and Thea Foss Waterfront.