Seattle's Top 25 Skyscrapers Part 5

Numbers 18 through 25

 

Number 18, One Union Square is located at 600 University St and 601 Union St. and is an aluminum clad 456 foot skyscraper consisting of 36 floors.  It is a commercial off building and construction of the building was completed in 1981. Its companion skyscraper, the taller of the two buildings at Union Square, is number 3 on the list and was completed in 1989. 

More information on Two Union Square is found on a prior post.  Not mentioned on that prior post is that Two Union Square has an underground concourse that connects it with the Seattle Hilton Hotel and the shopping at Rainier Plaza.  Wikipaedia lists an alternate name for Union Square as the Zippo building with no explanation as to why or even if the name refers to One or Two Union square.

The One Union Square  building hosts fire drills and earthquake drills on a regular basis.

A health fair is held in the spring for the tenants with free health screenings and massages.   In the summer, a Taste of Union Square where most of the restaurants in One and Two Union Square provide free tastes of what their restaurant has to offer to the tenants of the offices.  The buildings also offer a free lunch-time concert series in the summer. 

Number 19, Olive 8 is a 39-story, 455 foot, mixed-use skyscraper featuring 229 residential condominium units above a Hyatt Hotel with 350 rooms.  It is located at 737 Olive at Eighth Avenue and Olive Street.  The hotel's  address is 1635 8^th Avenue.

The Hyatt Hotel opened January 5, 2009 and the first homeowners were scheduled to close on their homes in what is the largest residential building in the city in late February 2009.  

The tower has one of the largest green roofs in downtown Seattle, 8,355 sq ft and was developed by R.C. Hedreen and designed by Gluckman Mayner Architects, the architects for The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the Dia Center for the Arts in New York City.

The complex was designed in an effort to reach LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Certification with its energy-efficient glass facade, low-flow plumbing fixtures, dual-flush toilets, rooftop garden between the towers, and efficient condensing boiler.




 

Number 20, 1111 Third Avenue is a 454 foot tall skyscraper that is a commercial office building.  It was completed in 1980 and has 34 floors. It is operated by Talon Portfolio Services, LLC and has an award-winning outdoor landscaped area with seating and tables accented by bronze statues by sculptor Robert Graham, and floor to ceiling windows. The exterior of the building is composed of precast concrete with exposed aggregate surfaces and dual-glazed, solar bronze glass.
At 34 stories and more than 580,000 square feet, this high-performance building boasts a timeless glass-and-concrete architectural design and a well-appointed and distinguished lobby.

 

The Westin Seattle is a cylindrical twin tower highrise hotel located at 1900 5^th Avenue.  The 449 foot 47 Story North Tower is Number 21 on the list of skyscrapers in Seattle.  Completed in 1982 is the tallest hotel tower in the city. The South Tower, with 40 floors at 397 feet is Number 25 and was completed much earlier, in 1969. Prior to taking on the Westin Hotel brand, the hotel operated as the Washington Plaza Hotel.
The recently remodeled complex has 891 room, 20 Executive Suites, 6 Deluxe Suites, 8 Luxury Suites and a Presidential Suites.  The hotel also features a Relish Burger Bistro and a Lobby Bar.
This set of buildings is featured as the album art for the Modest Mouse album The Lonesome Crowded West.
 



 


1521 Second Avenue, Number 22 on our list is a 440 foot skyscraper. Designed by Weber + Thompson, it is a residential building with 38 stories, and 143 individual homes. The building is located near the historic Pike Place Market only a block away. Construction was completed in late 2008.
Describing itself as one of Seattle’s premier luxury buildings, its amenities for the residents include a fitness studio, owners lounge, sun-terrace, 24 hour concierge, bellhop, valet, media room, and childrens play room.  Prices for the condos begin will over a million dollars.

Number, 23, the Westin Building is a commercial office building and major telecommunications hub and carrier hotel facility located at 2001 6^th Avenue near the Westin twin towers hotel. It is 409 feet in height and has 34 floors.  The building got its name from the Westin that made its home there when the building was first completed in 1981. It is also home to the Seattle Internet Exchange (SIX) and Pacific Northwest Gigapop's Pacific Wave Exchange.
The facility has a pair of "Meet-me Rooms" on the 19th floor, which are used by telecommunication carriers and internet service providers to cross-connect their individual networks. These carriers situate their POPs within racks spread throughout the building utilizing optical fiber cabling back to the meet-me room thereby facilitating interconnection with other carriers' infrastructure within the building. The Westin Building's meet-me room is the heart of the facility, where buyers and sellers of broadband services offer interconnectivity to their backbones and diverse services without the need to utilize telephone company provided interconnections.



 


Number 24 on the list is the Aspira.  It is a 400 feet tall skyscraper in the Denny Triangle neighborhood, located at  1823 Terry.  It has 37 floors, and mostly consists of apartments. Construction began in 2007 and was completed in late 2009.
Apparently you can rent an apartment in this building for under $2000 month.

 

Seattle's Top 25 Skyscrapers Part 4

The Smith Tower at 506 2^nd Ave is number Number 17 on the list of Seattle’s tallest skyscrapers.   It is located in the heart of Pioneer Squareand is the southernmost skyscraper in the downtown area.  With 37 floors,  the 462 foot tower is the oldest skyscraper in the city and was the tallest office building west of the Mississippi River until the Kansas City Power & Light Building was built in 1931. It remained the tallest building on the West Coast until the Space Needle overtook it in 1962.  It has remained an office building since its completion in 1914 and its 100 year anniversary will be celebrated in July of 2014.

The Chinese Room & Observation Deck on the 35 floor at Smith Tower have offered Seattle’s excellent views to the public for 100 years.  The elevator operators whisk you in an old-fashioned copper and brass elevator car to the 35th floor where you’ll step into the past as you explore the historic Chinese Room.  It is the one of the last buildings on the West Coast to employ elevator operators. The Otis Elevator Company provided the elevators, which have brass surfaces. The doors are latticed, so a rider can see into each hallway and through the glass walls in front of each office. 
Once you arrive at the 35 floor, you can engross yourself in the newspaper headlines of 1910 when Smith Tower was just a lofty idea, or soak up the good luck of the room by taking a seat in the Wishing Chair. It is said that a single woman who sits in the chair will marry within a year. The legend came true for Smith's daughter, who married in the Chinese Room itself.  The chair, the furniture and the hand-carved ceiling were gifts from the Empress of China, Cixi.

Guests are welcome to enjoy the sights of Seattle from inside – just in case you arrived on one of our famous Seattle rainy days – or outside on the Observation Deck that provides 360° views of the city.  From every angle you’ll see the best of Seattle, including the Space Needle, Great Wheel, Columbia Center, sports stadiums, Pioneer Square, and the International District, as well as our natural surroundings, including Mount Rainier, the Cascade Mountains, the Olympic Mountains, and Puget Sound.  It is open daily 10:00 a.m. until dusk.  Adults are $7.50, seniors and students $6.00 and children $5.00

This is an old photo of the Seattle Skyline shortly after the Smith Tower was built

Seattle Skyline as it looks today.  Smith Tower is last skyscraper on right

Smith Tower is named after its builder, firearm and typewriter magnate Lyman Cornelius Smith, and is a designated Seattle landmark.  In 1909, Smith planned to build a 14-story building in Seattle. His son, Burns Lyman Smith, convinced him to build instead a much taller skyscraper to steal the crown from rival city Tacoma's National Realty Building as the tallest west of the Mississippi. Construction began in 1910. Although Smith did not live to see it, the building was completed in 1914 to the height of 469 feet from curbside to the top of the pyramid, with a pinnacle height of 489 feet.  Its ribbon cutting was July 3, 1914. Ivar Haglund of Ivar's restaurant fame bought the tower for $1.8 million in 1976. The Samis Foundation acquired the tower in 1996. In 2006, the building was purchased by Walton Street Capital. It has been renovated twice, in 1986 and in 1999.

Smith Tower is an example of neoclassical architecture. Its outer skin is granite on the first and second floors, and terracotta on the rest. The exterior has been washed only once, in 1976, because it remains remarkably clean without regular washing.

After the restoration in the early 1990s, workers removed the 10,000 gallon water tank in the top of the tower. The resulting space along with a former maintenance man's apartment became a three-story penthouse, the only residence in the building. It is currently occupied by artist/investor Petra Franklin, husband David Lahaie, and their two daughters.

The building includes a fallout shelter that can be seen from the entrance hall.  The tower is crowned by an 8-foot-wide glass dome illuminated by blue light, except during December when it is changed to green.

Seatle's Top 25 Skyscrapers Part 3

Number 16, the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building (JFB) is a 37-story United States Federal Government skyscraper in downtown located at 915 2^nd Avenue.  It is the building with which  I am most familiar, since I visit it twice a day when I drop off my husband who works in the building.  In noting its distinctive achitecture it spurred my interest in the other beautiful highrises that grace the streets of downtown Seattle.

The building was completed in 1974 and won the Honor Award of the American Institute of Architects in 1976.  It received its current name after the death of U.S. Senator Henry M. (Scoop) Jackson in 1983.  When it was originally built it was called the Federal Center.
Among the structures torn down to build the federal building were the Richardsonian Romanesque Burke Building (built 1889–91), the Hotel Stevens, and the Tivoli Theater, a burlesque house. It is located across from the Old Federal Building.
In 1984, the building was rededicated and named to honor Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson (1912-1983), a Democratic U.S. Congressman and Senator who is best remembered for contributing to and guiding environmental legislation, including the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. He also championed the protection and expansion of national parks and wilderness areas.
The Henry M. Jackson Federal Building is a striking 37-story tower located within the Pioneer Square Commercial Business District on the block bounded by First and Second avenues and Madison and Marian streets. The parcel of land is steep and slopes toward the waterfront and piers of Elliott Bay on Puget Sound. 

1898 Photo of Burke bldg, property of MOHAI

The site is the original location of the Romanesque Revival style Burke Building (1889-1891), which was constructed in the aftermath of the Great Seattle Fire. Local preservationists lobbied against the government's 1971 demolition of the Burke Building, which cleared the site for the new office tower. Although the project proceeded as planned, the architects incorporated architectural fragments of the landmark building into their design. 
Elements such as the Romanesque entry arch, which is part of the landscaped plaza on Second Avenue, represent a compromise that, though not prevalent today, was often employed in the early years of the historic preservation movement.

Romanesque Entry arch from Burke building

The footprint of the monolithic building is square; however, the corners are all clipped, resulting in a less angular form on the skyline. The steel-frame building is clad in pre-cast concrete with prominent vertical members and recessed windows that emphasize the height of the structure. Arched entrance arcades on the federal building allude to the Romanesque entry of the Burke Building. The building's elevations are symmetrical and maintain a consistent geometric rhythm. Twelve stories from the street, a band of concrete panels with honeycomb patterns adorns the building. The building has a solid concrete cornice around the top perimeter. A metal-clad hipped roof form, unusual for high-rise designs of this era, adds a decorative finish to the tower.
The interior entrance lobby features brick walls with patterned brick accents. Octagonal projecting teak light fixtures adorn the ceiling. Interior columns are covered with precast concrete panels similar to those used on the exterior. The elevator lobby walls are also clad in brick and teak strips cover the ceiling. The cafeteria entrance incorporates fragments from the Romanesque arched openings of the Burke Building. Although some open plan office space has been partitioned, the building appears much as it did upon completion in 1974.

The landscaped plaza is located along Second Avenue with stepped terraces sloping down toward First Avenue. It is clad primarily in brick with a series of steps and seating areas. Art is an integral component of the Jackson Federal Building. Isamu Noguchi's Landscape of Time (1975) is an outstanding five-piece sculptural grouping carved out of pink Japanese granite boulders. Despite its location in a busy public area, the sculpture establishes a quiet contemplative retreat that beckons those passing by to enter the space and sit amidst nature. Philip McCracken's cast-bronze sculpture, Freedom (1976) depicts a bird breaking free from the bars of its cage. Harold Balazs, Jr. created Seattle Project (1976), an abstract welded copper sculpture. Its interlocking geometric shapes respond to the simple modernist forms of the Jackson Federal Building.

1st Ave Balazs scultpture

In 2005, the cafeteria was redesigned to improve services. The following year, a $36 million renovation to the building included seismic strengthening and mechanical system and elevator upgrades. The main entrances on First and Second avenues were modified as part of the U.S. General Services Administration's First Impressions program. The goal of the program is to improve the entrance experience of federal buildings for both tenants and visitors. On First Avenue, the project introduced a glass entry pavilion to accommodate new security features while admitting natural light into the building.

 




This is my favorite view along Second Avenue.  I see it in my rear view mirror each afternoon I travel south on Second to make the turn on Columbia and go to First to the Federal Building to pick up my husband.  The circuitous route is due to the one way streets on Second and Marion.  Note the Space Needle in the background.

Top 25 Seattle Skyscrapers Part 2

Numbers 11 through 25

The 11th tallest skyscraper in Seattle is Rainier Tower.   Number 11 is a 31-story, 514 foot multi-use Office and Retail skyscraper located at 1301 Fifth Avenue. It was designed by Minoru Yamasaki, who designed the World Trade Center in New York City as well as the IBM Building, which is on the corner across the street from Rainier Tower to the southeast. Its construction was completed in 1977.

The skyscraper has an unusual appearance, being built atop an 11-storey, 121 foot concrete pedestal base that tapers towards ground level, like an inverted pyramid.

Beneath the tower is Rainier Square, an underground shopping mall connecting with One Union Square that is owned by the University of Washington. Both the mall and tower were originally named after Rainier Bank, which was merged in the 1980s into Security Pacific, which was eventually merged into BankAmerica.

There's no mistaking the Rainier Tower. As it rises from its pedestal, it leaves the streets open and pedestrian-oriented. The Tower occupies only 25 percent of the block bounded by 4th and 5th avenues and Union and University streets. The remainder is devoted to Rainier Square's three-level retail atrium and landscaped plazas, where Rainier Square and the Tower are integrated.

The Tower's grace belies its strength and utility. Its design underwent three environmental tests before construction. It was tested first for strength in the event of a severe earthquake, then for stability during high winds. The results proved Rainier Tower as one of Seattle's safest buildings. Even its unusual shape was tested, finding that it would eliminate the "canyon effect" of strong winds that can occur around modern high-rise buildings.

The Fourth and Madison Building (formerly the IDX Tower), Number 12 is a 40-story skyscraper with 2 floors underground, as well.  The building is a commercial office building and is located at 925 Fourth Avenue, at the intersection with Madison Street. Upon its completion in 2002, the late-modernist highrise was Seattle's first building to exceed 500 feet in over a decade.
The rooftop garden on the seventh floor is a privately owned public open space.  I understand you can take the podium elevators to level 7 for a rooftop public plaza that's open M-F, 7a-530p  However, it may be open solely to office workers. The tower itself has a dramatic 5-story atrium entrance.  At night, the top of the tower is illuminated by flood lights and gives the tower a "crown" effect. 
IDX Systems occupies floors 3-18 which have the largest plates (narrows after the 18th floor).

 

Number 13, 1918 Eighth Avenue is a 500 feet  tall skyscraper in the Denny Regrade neighborhood.  It was completed in 2009 and has 36 floors, consisting mostly of office space. In August 2008, the tower gained its first tenant, law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro. The firm leased 21,000 square feet of the building.  
The building was developed by Schnitzer West, LLC and is now owned by an affiliate of JPMorgan Chase, which purchased it for $350 million after Schnitzer put it up for sale in May 2011, shortly after Amazon.com signed a long-term lease for more than two-thirds of the office space.








Number 14, Qwest Plaza is a 32-storey, 499 ft skyscraper completed in 1976 Qwest Plaza was originally known as the Pacific Northwest Bell Building, and later 1600 Bell Plaza, and US West Communications.
In 2012, a year after acquiring Qwest Communications, Centurylink sold the Bell Plaza/Qwest Plaza property to New York real estate investment firm Clarion Partners for $137 million and is now leasing floors 3–17 to Centurylink and floors 19–32 to Nordstrom (floor 18 is currently occupied by The Urban Renaissance Group). Centurylinks NW Regional President, Brian Stading issued a statement claiming that the tower was not a fundamental component of their business strategy. Seattle real estate company, The Urban Renaissance Group, represented Clarion in the sale and will operate the building for the new owner.

1000 Second Avenue is Number 15 on the tallest list.  It is a 490 ft skyscraper, completed in 1987 and has 43 floors above ground and 2 below. Originally known as Key Tower, it is listed as a commercial office building, but I have found have a condo for sale in the building.

 

Top 25 Tallest Seattle Skyscrapers

Top 25 as of January 2014

Seattle Skyline - Note Columbia Tower, the tallest on the right 

After realizing there was no way I was going to be able to visit the Columbia Tower until after I have my knee replacement surgery, I spent a bit more time checking out online many of Seattle's other skyscrapers.  The Skyline has always fascinated me since I feel it is one of the most beautiful cities in the nation.  I'd looked at so many of these buildings on my daily trek to and from downtown, admiring their architecture and began to wonder what was inside of them,.  Below is the results of that research:

1.     Columbia Center   

2.    1201 Third   

3.    Two Union Square   

4.    Seattle Municipal  

       Tower

5.    Safeco Plaza   

6.    Russell Investments

       Center   

7.    US Bank Center   

8.    Wells Fargo Center   

9.    B of A Fifth Ave Plaza   

10.  901 Fifth Ave   

11.  Rainier Tower   

12.  Fourth and Madison Building

13.  1918 Eighth Ave

14.  Qwest Plaza

15.  1000 Second Ave

16.  Henry M Jackson

        Federal Building  

17.  Smith Tower

18.  One Union Square

19.  Olive 8

20.  1111 Third Ave

21.  Westin Seattle North

        Tower

22.  1521 Second Ave

23.  Westin Building

24.  Aspira

25.  Westin Seattle South

       Tower

By way of comparison,  Seattle's Space Needle at 605 feet in height would place #6 if it were a skyscraper, right between Safeco Plaza and the Russell Investments Center.  The tallest observation tower in Seattle and the 3rd tallest in the nation, it was built in 1962 for the Seattle's world fair.  It has only 5 floors.

Number 1, Columbia Center has more information available on the prior blog.  It is located at 701 5th Ave, next to the I-5 Freeway.  
Some other interesting things that I did not list earlier include the fact that the observation deck was remodeled in July 2013 to be a complete 360 degree view.  Prior to that it was only 270 degrees.  Now that it is a complete circle and because it is taller than the Space Needle and sits on the top of a hill, it may very well be the best view in Seattle. It certainly stand out in any photo of the Seattle Skyline.

Ground level elevation on the Fifth Avenue side of the building is higher than on the Fourth Avenue side; the part of Cherry Street it faces was identified as one of the steepest streets in the Central Business District with a slope of 17.1%. The height of the tower was originally designed to be about 1,006 ft, but federal regulations by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would not allow it to be that tall so close to the nearby Sea-Tac Airport.  It is 967 feet in height and has 76 multi-use floors.

Although city land use regulations at the time were intended to limit skyscrapers to about 50 stories, the developer, Martin Selig, obtained the necessary permits for a 76-story skyscraper due to a part of the law that allowed bonus height for providing retail space with street access. Because three separate stories could access the street on the sloped site, the developers were allowed a bonus for each of the three stories they set aside for retail, which was reportedly an unintended loophole in the law.  Unless height restrictions are changed, it is likely the Columbia Tower will remain the tallest skyscraper in Seattle.

Number 2, 1201 Third Avenue is 772 ft in height and has 55 multi-use floors.Built in 1988, the building was the world headquarters of the financial company Washington Mutual from the building's opening until the company moved into the WaMu Center across the street in 2006. 
Kohn Pedersen Fox was hired to design the tower while visiting Seattle to be interviewed as a possible candidate for the job of designing the Seattle Art Museum. It was the first major office building built under Seattle’s 1985 downtown zoning plan, largely implemented in response to the Columbia Center, which called for height limits, interesting profiles, and height and density bonuses for public amenities to create a 24 hour downtown. The tower includs an entrance to the Metro Transit Tunnel, retail space, day care, public plaza, sculptured top, hillside public escalators, and lobby/atrium public access. By providing the amenities the designers were able to add 28 stories to the tower and almost double the base floor area ratio of the site.

This building was built on the site of the 12-story Savoy Hotel which was imploded in 1986; however, the architects incorporated the historic Brooklyn Building into the design of the tower.

 

Built in 1989 Number 3, Two Union Square is 740 feet in height and has 56 floors.  With its companion building, the slightly shorter (Number 25), One Union Square, they create an inviting plaza with mixed use buildings.  Both office space and retail is located in the square, including the office of Zip Car, a local car sharing company.
The two Union Square buildings are connected by a fireplace lobby and underground pedestrian concourse to the neighborhood.  A 20 x 30 foot US flag flies above the building of Two Union square..

    

Number 4, Seattle Municipal Tower, located at 700 5th Avenue is also next to the I-5 freeway.  It was built in 1990 and is the tallest building constructed in The building was originally named AT&T Gateway Tower and later changed to Key Bank Tower reflecting the names of former anchor tenants AT&T and Key Bank. In May 2004, the tower's name was officially changed to the current name.
The building is attached to the Seattle Civic Center complex, is owned by the city, and houses several government offices including the Department of Planning and Development, Seattle City Light, Seattle Public Utilities, the Department of IT, Human Services Department, and the Office of Economic Development.  It also has an Art Gallery and a Fitness Center.
The Seattle City Council and offices of the Mayor of Seattle are located in the nearby Seattle City Hall.
The stairs between the plaza, lobby and tunnel levels are unusual and the building straddles a freeway entrance ramp.  The main lobby is floor 4, not floor 1 as is usual in American buildings.
The elevators are divided into lower and upper tiers. In order to reach floors above 40, visitors must take an elevator to the "sky lobby" on 40 and transfer to a second elevator to continue upward. Also, to reach floor 62 or "The Tip", one must transfer to a private elevator at floor 61 using an encoded badge.  The plaza and tunnel levels can't be reached by the main elevators. They also require an elevator transfer, in this case the parking-garage elevators on floor 4; or via the decorative staircase.
The building's three restaurants are on an upper plaza (6th floor) and only one has an inside entrance.
The glass cupola at the building's crest is not occupied space. It contains elevator equipment.



Number 5, Safeco Plaza is a 630 foot building with 50 floors, located at 1001 4th Avenue.  
It is a landmark Seattle office building that reshaped the city skyline when it opened in 1969.  At the time of its opening, the 50 story high-rise towered over downtown and ranked as the second tallest structure in the west.  It was the first Class A office building in Seattle.  The building ushered in a period of tremendous growth for the region, positioning Seattle as a major west coast city. 
The new building dwarfed Smith Tower which had reigned as downtown's tallest building since 1914, and edged out the Space Needle by 25 ft.  Since Safeco Plaza opened shortly after the building of the Space Needle, it became affectionately known as “the box the Space Needle came in.”  It was also widely referred to as “the Black Box.”  
Safeco Plaza was originally named Seattle First National Bank Building. Safeco Insurance Company of America leased the building in May 2006 to be its headquarters, and renamed it Safeco Plaza.


Number 6, Russell Investments Center is located at 1301 2nd Avenue. Upon its completion, it was the largest skyscraper to mark the downtown Seattle skyline in nearly 15 years, and is the city's sixth tallest building, at 597.7 feet with 42 floors.

It was originally named WaMu Center because it was built to become the new headquarters for Washington Mutual (WaMu). Major construction ended in early 2006, with minor construction continuing into the fall.  In September 2008, Washington Mutual failed, and its assets and accounts were sold to JPMorgan Chase by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. In June 2009, the building was renamed Chase Center. In September 2009, the building was purchased by Northwestern Mutual of Milwaukee. Russell Investments, a Northwestern Mutual subsidiary, made the building its corporate headquarters upon relocation from Tacoma, Washington, and renamed the building the Russell Investments Center.
WaMu Center was built to stand as Washington Mutual's headquarters, and to move most of its many Seattle area workers into one tower, to streamline operations, and to encourage worker interaction, with a reinvention of the workplace. There is also a private 20,000 sq ft rooftop patio on the west half of the 17th floor for workers of the tower to take walks along the several walking paths.
The tower includes the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) on the first four floors of the west half of the building, and connects to the museum's existing building on the southern portion of the block. WaMu and SAM made an agreement where the museum may expand in two-floor increments up to the 12th floor over the next 20 years as needed. 

 

Number 7, US Bank Centre is a 581 foot skyscraper located at 1420 5^th Ave.  It was constructed from 1987 to 1989 and has 44 floors with 6 more underground.

While it is also know as City Centre, this building first opened as the Pacific First Center. It is spelled "centre" and not the American way "center" because it is owned by the Bentall Group, a Canadian company. 

The building is mixed use, with commercial office space and retail establishments, but it has a real Bank feeling to it with its centrally located US Bank, its vaulted ceilings and its artwork behind glass and wood cases.  There is an art display by Chihuly on the 2nd floor.

Number 8, Wells Fargo Center is 573 feet tall with 47 floors and located at 999 3rd Ave.

Formerly named First Interstate Center when completed in 1983, it was owned by Chicago based Equity Office Properties Trust. In 2013 the building was purchased by Canada's Ivanhoe Cambridge from Beacon Capital Partners of Boston. It is basically a commercial office building with a three level outdoor retail plaza.

The exterior façade of Wells Fargo Center is composed of a six-sided, steel-framed tower that features a combination of tinted continuous double-glazed glass and polished spring rose granite panels. 

As is common with buildings in Downtown Seattle, the Wells Fargo Center rests on a slope. The Eastern entrance facing Third Avenue is slightly more than two stories higher than the Western side facing Second Avenue. On the west side, the building has a public hill climb on two flights of outdoor escalators that were encased in clear tubes until 2006 when they were updated with a simpler, yet more modern glass roof. The building has three levels of outdoor plazas.

 

The Number 9 building on the list of tallest skyscrapers is the Bank of America Fifth Avenue Plaza.  It is a commercial office building that is 543 feet tall with 42 floors and 4 below ground and is located at 800 5th Ave, near the Columbia Tower (number 1) and the Seattle Municipal Tower (number 4). Started in 1979, it was completed in 1981. 
The exterior of the building is clad in a natural aluminum finish with a structural cross-bracing design and lightly tinted gray glass. The complex also contains a landscaped public plaza, 17,000 square feet of retail space and below-grade parking for 612 cars.

Number 10 is 901 5th Ave, also know as the Bank of California Building.  A commercial office building, it is 536 feet tall with 41 floors above ground and 3 below.  Constructed in 1973, it was the tallest building constructed in Seattle in the 1970's.
The building was opened as the Bank of California Building.  Formerly the Union Bank of California Building, the name was changed to 901 Fifth Avenue following the sale by Beacon Capital Partners to Kennedy Wilson Inc. of Beverly Hills. From its opening in 1973 to July 2007 the building address was 900 Fourth when the entrance was moved following a renovation.


The redesigned building has more open efficient floor plans, a modern renovated lobby and features a stunning landscaped plaza, a plaza-level restaurant with wrap-around outdoor seating.  The new energy efficient building includes a water efficient green roof plaza that reduces storm water runoff and provides an urban oasis for tenants and their visitors, The environmentally green concept provides increased natural light, improved energy efficiency, reduced operating expenses and  40% of tenant waste is recycled.
Flood lights illuminate all sides of the tower at night. 



I will be posting more information and photos about Numbers 11 - 25 in the near future.  Check back soon.