The 46-acre campus is located on a hillside at the southern edge of downtown Tacoma, overlooking the Port of Tacoma and Mount Rainier. Set in the historic Union Station District, UW Tacoma renovated century-old, brick buildings that were built by businesses that depended on the railroad in the late 1880s and early 1900s. The university has earned architectural awards for transforming these buildings into modern classrooms. In the design of the campus, the UW Tacoma honored the traditions of the Northern Pacific Railway and its part in establishing the city of Tacoma.