UW Tacoma — Milgard Hall

A new university building recounts the history of Pacific Northwest forests.

A land acknowledgment for Milgard Hall—a new sustainably designed timber building on the University of Washington’s Tacoma campus by Architecture Research Office (ARO)—recounts the layered history of Pacific Northwest forests. Once the site of dense woodland and later bustling lumber warehouses, the location reflects a complex relationship between land, industry, and Indigenous presence. This permanent installation at the building’s entry tells the story of forests and their significance to the region. In doing so, it serves as land acknowledgment not only for Milgard Hall but for the wider university campus. 

The installation includes maps of forest and tribal areas, commissioned artwork and illustrations, and a series of historical and contemporary monochromatic photographs printed on plywood to convey the rich history of the region, from deep past to the present day and beyond.