Tacoma's "Museum District" Transforms Downtown Into A Cultural Hub

Tacoma has truly transformed itself with the rapid emergence of a "Museum District" in the heart of downtown.  Here three major museums form an impressive triangle – the Tacoma Art Museum, the Museum of Glass, and the Washington State History Museum.  Linking them is the spectacular Chihuly Bridge of Glass and historic Union Station, also filled with Chihuly art.  Today Tacoma is indeed a "Museum Mecca" with so many cultural attractions within easy walking distance of each other.

Tacoma Art Museum
1701 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98402
[253] 272-4258, www.tacomaartmuseum.org

The Tacoma Art Museum [TAM] debuted in its own new facility in May 2003 after years in a too-small former bank building.  Nearly twice the size, the spacious, $25-million, 50,000-square-foot structure completes Tacoma's Museum District triangle with a fine arts museum now able to exhibit far more of its permanent collection as well as top traveling exhibits.

TAM features approximately 12,000 square feet of flexible exhibition space in a series of galleries that entice visitors from street level to the second floor, wrapping around central "stone garden" containing a "wave" of ancient pavers.  The galleries feature TAM's permanent collection of Northwest artists and 19th and 20th century American, European and Asian art, plus the world's largest collection of early Chihuly glass.

The museum also has an Education Wing for both children and adults to enjoy hands-on art making in the Open Art Studio, an Art Resource Center and an event area ideal for lectures, film presentations, performances and group functions. There is a museum store, café, art preservation areas, collections storage and 125-space parking garage.

Museum of Glass
1801 E. Dock St., Tacoma, WA 98402
[253] 284-4750 or toll-free [866] 4-MUSEUM, www.museumofglass.org

The Museum of Glass [MOG] highlights the medium of glass art. Opened in July 2002, the $58-million, 75,000-square-foot museum features 13,000 square feet of exhibition space, the 140-seat Hot Shop Amphitheater, a technologically advanced resource center, 180-seat theater, café and museum store.  The Hot Shop Amphitheater is housed in a 90-foot-tall, angled cone, 100 feet in diameter at the base, where visitors can watch visiting glass artists at work in the creative process. The museum also offers specialized education and outreach programs to introduce audiences of all ages and levels of expertise to current art.

Designed by a team of architects and engineers led by internationally known architect Arthur Erickson, the museum includes four stories of glass walls and a concrete structure counter balanced by the steel cone.  Outdoor plazas on the roof, administrative and museum levels feature large works of arts, reflecting pools and seating areas for relaxing and enjoying views of the city skyline and waterfront.  The roof of the museum connects with the Chihuly Bridge of Glass. 

Chihuly Bridge of Glass

The Chihuly Bridge of Glass, a unique piece of public art, was developed as a partnership between the City of Tacoma, world-renowned glass artist and Tacoma native son Dale Chihuly and the Museum of Glass.  Architect Arthur Andersson designed the $10.5-million pedestrian bridge in collaboration with Dale Chihuly.  It is owned by the City of Tacoma.

The 500-foot bridge spans Interstate 705 to connect the Thea Foss Waterway and the Museum of Glass to the Washington State History Museum and downtown Tacoma's Pacific Avenue.  The pedestrian walkway features one of the largest outdoor installations of Chihuly's glass, valued at approximately $12 million, and creates a striking gateway to Tacoma.  Pedestrians can stroll across it and pause to admire the 1,500 pieces in the overhead Seaform Pavilion, the 109 jewel-toned glass creations in the 80-foot-long Venetian Wall and the 30-foot-high, glacial-blue twin Crystal Towers.

Washington State History Museum
1911 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA  98402
[253] 272-3500 or toll-free [888] 238-4373, www.wshs.org

This 106,000-square-foot museum features interactive, multimedia and storytelling exhibits on the state, its people, places and key industries. The permanent exhibit, Hall of Washington State History, captures the stories, spirit and soul of Washington's native people, history-makers and everyday citizens. Visitors can experience life in a Salish Plank House, eavesdrop on Lewis and Clark, discover the realities of life on the frontier and during the Depression, enter the complex world of Washington's early labor movements and learn about major industries which shaped the state: farming, logging, coal-mining, dam-building and air/sea/rail transportation. A unique exhibit is the high-tech, 900-square-foot, topographical map of Washington that lets visitors view the state from its prehistoric terrain through ice ages, volcanoes and massive floods to present development.

The museum contains the largest collection of pioneer, Indian and Alaskan artifacts on the Pacific Coast. It also encompasses a History Lab Learning Center for children, the state's largest permanent model railroad exhibit, galleries to display special traveling exhibits, a 215-seat indoor auditorium and an outdoor amphitheater.

Union Station
1717 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98402
[253] 572-9310

Built in 1911, Union Station began as a grand tribute to the prosperity the Northern Pacific Railroad brought to Tacoma.  The landmark, domed depot was designed by Reed & Stem, the architects who created New York's Grand Central Station. When it opened, Union Station was proclaimed the grandest building north of San Francisco, its massive Romanesque revival architecture topped by a magnificent copper dome.

The station served rail passengers until 1983, when Amtrak moved its operations east of downtown. Then in 1988 Union Station was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and complete renovations began. All was restored to its original splendor at a total cost of $57 million, plus

a new a Federal Courthouse wing was added. Union Station reopened on May 15, 1992, its historic rotunda open and free to the public. Currently it exhibits dramatic glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly, including one of his signature chandeliers hanging in the center of the rotunda.

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