With its strikingly tilted, stainless steel–clad cone housing a glassblowing studio, also known as a hot shop, the Museum of Glass has become a significant feature of Tacoma’s revived waterfront. Since its opening in 2002 on the west side of the Thea Foss Waterway that leads into Commencement Bay, the building has contributed to the city’s efforts to create a cultural zone, along with the University of Washington Tacoma, the Washington State History Museum, and the Tacoma Art Museum.