Southeast Alaska Discovery Center

As the largest United States Forest Service visitors center in the U.S., the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center is one of four public lands information centers in the state. Patrons learn about the area’s natural habitats, native peoples and natural resources. Native artisans were commissioned to craft the more than 100 objects on display. Many visitors from the cruise ship dock located one block away make the center their first introduction to the public lands.

Auerbach Glasow provided exhibit lighting for the center’s five exhibits, each with a different focus. Light fixtures are hidden within and incorporated into exhibits throughout the space.

The center itself was designed in the style of an old cannery building common to the waterfront of the Southeast Alaska coast.

Client: Ancona + Associates
Size: 18,000 SF
Completion: 1995