“Mini” Conference
October 10-12, 2025
Tacoma, Washington
The Marion Dean Ross/Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians will be holding our third annual "mini" conference October 10-12, 2025 in Tacoma. This year we are again planning our event to be contiguous with Washington's PLACES conference, which will be October 8-10 in nearby in Gig Harbor. SAH MDR members get a special discount for the PLACES conference. Use PARTNER-SAHMDR as a promo code for 25% off! More info here.
As a direct response to the mounting political and financial threats to our cultural institutions, we have selected the theme: "Resist, Reclaim, Restore: Preserving an Inclusive Heritage" for our 2025 mini-conference. We are committed to supporting a deeper understanding of inclusive and underrepresented narratives in architectural history, ensuring our field retains and continues the progress it has made toward being more dynamic, relevant, and accessible to all.
Tentative programming includes a tour of historic Black Sites in Tacoma, a visit to the Japanese American Mukai Farm and Garden on Vashon Island, a full day of talks including paper sessions, a special presentation from the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, and of course brewery hangs and pub crawls.
Session proposals are currently open—we invite you to share your work and join the conversation. Conference details will be finalized in the coming weeks.
Register today to join us for our third annual "mini" conference in Tacoma, October 10-12, 2025! Below is our tentative conference schedule, with more details coming soon. We will announce sessions topics later in August.
Thursday, October 9
Pre-funk happy hour (evening)
Friday, October 10
Tour of Historic Black Sites in Tacoma (morning)
Tour of the Japanese American Mukai Farm and Garden on Vashon Island (afternoon)
Brewery hang and/or pub crawl (evening)
Saturday, October 11
Full day of talks and paper sessions (morning/afternoon)
Special presentation from the Puyallup Tribe of Indians (afternoon)
Brewery hang and/or pub crawl (evening)
Sunday, October 12
SAH MDR/PNW chapter meeting (morning/afternoon)
Please note mini-conference plans are subject to change!
Scholarships Available
This year we are thrilled to be able to offer mini-conference scholarships which will include complementary registration as well as up to $500 in travel support. Applications are especially welcome from students, emerging professionals, and attendees from historically underrepresented communities, but we are happy to receive an application from anyone needing financial assistance for any reason.
Scholarship recipients will be required to write and submit a brief reflection on their experience at the mini-conference (accompanying photos encouraged!) which will be published in the SAH MDR e-news.
Scholarship applications were due at 11:59pm, Friday, August 1, 2025. We will continue to leave the form open, but priority will be given to applications which met the deadline. Successful applicants will be notified no later than August 15, 2025
Session Proposals
Session proposals were due at 11:59pm, Friday, August 1, 2025. We will keep the proposal form open, but priority will be given to proposals which met the deadline. Successful session proposals will be notified no later than August 15, 2025
Stay tuned, more information coming soon!