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TacomaRedefining and Refining Its ImageBy Toni DabbsApparently tired of being just a Seattle suburb, Tacoma is transforming itself into a destination in its own right. Situated 36 miles south of Seattle on Commencement Bay, the city that put the "Tac" in SeaTac Airport has chosen a cultural path to take it out of the shadow of its better known Washington state neighbor. I had heard rumors about this renaissance of the old lumber capital, but it took the opening of its latest arty attraction to lure me there for a first-hand look.
Overlooking Thea Foss Waterway, the Museum of Glass serves as a cornerstone for both Tacoma's revitalized waterfront and the city's developing cultural corridor. Connecting it to downtown is a 500-foot-long pedestrian bridge with three permanent installations of Chihuly glass: "Crystal Towers," resembling giant sticks of barley sugar candy; "Seaform Pavilion," containing a skylight of multicolored glass forms; and "Venetian Wall," displaying 110 individual glass objects.
Beyond Union Station, Tacoma Art Museum is constructing a grand new gallery scheduled to open in spring 2003. Meanwhile, its exhibits, including the largest public collection of Chihuly glass, can be seen in its more modest facility at 12th and Pacific Avenue, several blocks away.
Although Tacoma has a handful of bed and breakfasts, its choice of hotels is somewhat limited. Sheraton has a 319-room property downtown adjacent to the convention center. At Altezzo Ristorante on its 26th floor, guests can dine on Italianate cuisine while enjoying an unobstructed view over Thea Foss Waterway toward Mount Rainier.
I quickly discovered a swimming beach close by and a shop where bicycles and roller blades could be rented for use on the waterfront promenade. After all, in the Pacific Northwest, no one wants to be a culture vulture all the time. IF YOU GOJob Carr Cabin Museum (foot of Carr Street) is a reconstruction of the home built by the city's first settler in 1864, containing artifacts, photos and historical displays. Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum (407 South G Street) has a collection of original drafts, letters and documents written by people of historical significance. St. Peter's Church (2910 North Starr Street) was Tacoma's first place of worship, built in 1873. W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory (Wright Park) is one of only three Victorian style conservatories on the West Coast, constructed in 1908. Photos by Toni Dabbs FOR MORE INFORMATIONTacoma Regional
Convention and Visitor Bureau Copyright 2002 by Toni Dabbs. This work, including photographs, is protected by copyright and may be used only for personal non-commercial purposes. All other rights are reserved, and commercial use is prohibited without permission of the author. |
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The new Museum of Glass: International Center for Contemporary Art,
designed by acclaimed Canadian architect Arthur Erickson, is simply
stunning. Called "a new icon for Tacoma" by Mayor Bill Baarsma, it
originally was conceived as a showcase for the glass works of Tacoma native
Dale Chihuly. But at Chihuly's insistence, it evolved to become much more,
exhibiting works in a variety of media by artists from around the world.
Central feature of the
building is a 90-foot-tall stainless steel cone, jauntily tilted at a
17-degree angle. Erickson says the cone was inspired by the wood burners of
sawmills that once proliferated in the Pacific Northwest. It seems an
appropriate form to house the museum's Hot Shop Amphitheater, where guests
can sit comfortably in stadium seating while watching glass artists at work.
Remote controlled cameras suspended inside the cone project better views and
close-ups on a giant screen above the kilns.
Washington State
History Museum, an entertaining educational center, was added to Pacific
Avenue in 1996, but its arched exterior complements Union Station, built in
1911, next door. Now a federal courthouse, the station has a 98-foot-high
rotunda decorated with Chihuly sculptures equal to its scale.
Tacoma Opera and Tacoma Symphony Orchestra have established reputations
that prompt people from Seattle to reserve seats. Both perform at the
Pantages Theater on Broadway, built in 1918 and restored to its original
Greco-Roman elegance in 1983. Also dating from 1918 is the nearby Rialto
Theater, a Beaux Arts delight shared by the Tacoma Youth Symphony, two
ballet companies and a chamber orchestra.
I took a break from
sightseeing to spend a few hours on Antique Row, one of the largest
concentrations of antiques and collectibles in the Pacific Northwest. About
a dozen stores line the section of Broadway between Seventh and Ninth
Streets, with more one street over on St. Helen's Avenue and along Opera
Alley in between. I ran out of time before I ran out of shops.