Bridge of Glass

The Bridge of Glass is a 500-foot pedestrian bridge connecting the Museum of Glass waterfront to Union Station and downtown Tacoma. Dale Chihuly designed the glass elements that line and cover much of the bridge: two enclosed pavilions with overhead installations of cobalt and turquoise glass pieces inspired by sea life, and a long wall display of his Venetian series works.

Walking the bridge is free and takes about five minutes, but most people slow down considerably. The light changes the experience dramatically — at midday the sunlight through the glass casts coloured shadows onto the walkway; at dusk or on overcast days the colours of the glass itself are more saturated. The bridge is genuinely one of the better pieces of public art integrated into urban infrastructure in the country.

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The Bridge of Glass spans Interstate 705 and contains more than 2,000 individual glass elements designed by Dale Chihuly — two Seaform Pavilions with cobalt blue ceiling installations, and the Venetian Wall, a 100-foot display of Chihuly's Venetian and Puteoli glass vessels. It is a public artwork free to walk through at any time of day, and in the right light the colors cast onto the footpath are remarkable.