Columbia Seafirst Center
| Columbia Center | |
|---|---|
The southwest face of Columbia Center from Smith Tower, August 2007.
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| Former names | Bank of America Tower Columbia Seafirst Center |
| Record height | |
| Tallest in Seattle and Washington state since 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Safeco Plaza |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Location | 701 Fifth Avenue Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Coordinates | 47°36′16″N 122°19′50″W / 47.60453°N 122.33069°WCoordinates: 47°36′16″N 122°19′50″W / 47.60453°N 122.33069°W |
| Construction started | 1982 |
| Completed | January 12, 1985 |
| Opened | March 2, 1985 |
| Cost | US$200 million (approx. $445 million in 2016 dollars) |
| Owner | Gaw Capital Partners |
| Height | |
| Architectural | 967 ft (295 m) |
| Roof | 937 ft (286 m) |
| Observatory | 902 ft (275 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 76 (76 & 7 below ground) |
| Floor area | 1,538,000 sq ft (142,900 m2) |
| Lifts/elevators | 48 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Chester Lindsey Architects |
| Developer | Martin Selig |
| Structural engineer | Magnusson Klemencic Associates (formerly Skilling Helle Christiansen Robertson) |
| Main contractor | Howard S. Wright Construction |
| References | |
The Columbia Center, formerly named the Bank of America Tower and Columbia Seafirst Center, is a skyscraper in downtown Seattle, Washington. The 76-story structure is the tallest building in Seattle and the state of Washington, reaching a height of 937 ft (286 m). At the time of its completion, the Columbia Center was the tallest structure on the West Coast; as of 2017[update], it is the fourth-tallest, behind buildings in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The Columbia Center, developed by Martin Selig and designed by Chester L. Lindsey Architects, began construction in 1982 and was completed in 1985. The building is primarily leased for class-A office spaces by various companies, with the lower floors including retail space and the upper floors including a public observatory and private club lounge. The tower has the tallest public viewing area on the West Coast and west of the Mississippi. It occupies most of the block bounded by Fourth and Fifth Avenues and Cherry and Columbia Streets.
Columbia Center was designed by Washington architect Chester L. Lindsey. The base of the building is clad in Rosa Purino Carnelian granite. The building's structure is composed of three geometric concave facades with two setbacks, causing the building to appear like three towers standing side by side.
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 tower was originally designed to be about 306.5 m (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. 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. There is an observation deck on the 73rd floor which offers views of Seattle and environs. The top two floors of the building (75th and 76th) are occupied by the private Columbia Tower Club, which houses a restaurant, bar, library, and meeting rooms. The 40th floor is accessible to the public and features a Starbucks cafe. An underground concourse connects the building to the nearby Seattle Municipal Tower and Bank of America Fifth Avenue Plaza.
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