Pacific Medical Center
| Pacific Tower | |
|---|---|
Pacific Tower
|
|
| Alternative names | Pacific Medical Center Pacific Hospital Preservation and Development Authority US Marine Hospital PacMed Building |
| General information | |
| Type |
Health facility Former hospital Former corporate headquarters |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Location | Seattle, Washington |
| Address | 1200 12th Avenue South |
| Coordinates | 47°35′34″N 122°18′57″W / 47.5928°N 122.3158°WCoordinates: 47°35′34″N 122°18′57″W / 47.5928°N 122.3158°W |
| Elevation | 350 ft (110 m) |
| Height | 239 ft (73 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 16 |
| Floor area | 259,703 sq ft (24,127.2 m2) |
The Pacific Tower, formerly the Pacific Medical Center, is a 16-story building on Beacon Hill in Seattle, Washington. It is located at 1200 12th Avenue South. It was completed in 1932 and opened in 1933 as a Marine Hospital Service facility. The lower floors of the facility still function as a medical center today. Amazon.com occupied much of the building as its headquarters for several years. Much of the space was left vacant after Amazon relocated to South Lake Union. In 2013, the State of Washington agreed to a 30-year lease of 13 floors. Seattle Central Community College subleases six floors for its healthcare training program.
The building was designed by Carl Frelinghuysen Gould of Bebb and Gould with assistance from John Graham & Company. The architecture has a distinctive Art Deco style. The structure is perched on a hill overlooking downtown Seattle and is a prominent piece of the city's skyline. It has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places and has been recognized as a landmark by the City of Seattle. The building was retrofitted to better withstand an earthquake in the 1990s. However, portions of the building suffered significant damage and required repair due to the 2001 Nisqually earthquake.
The building was opened in 1933 by the U.S. government as a United States Marine Hospital Service hospital. Replacing a facility in Port Townsend, it opened with 312 beds in 1933. The hospital originally served veterans, merchant seamen, the US Coast Guard, the US Lighthouse Service, and poor and indigent people defined as “federal compensation cases”. In 1951, it was re-designated as a US Public Health Service facility along with all other Marine hospitals. In 1953, a three-story annex was constructed on the east end of the building to serve outpatient clinics. Two stair towers were added to the south face in 1975. The building continued to grow in 1980 as a laboratory and primary care addition were built. The federal government ceased operation of the facility and other similar hospitals in 1981. Control was shifted to Seattle, and the city chartered the Pacific Hospital Preservation and Development Authority (PHPDA). The PHPDA owns the property and uses long-term tenants with leases. Lease revenues are advance the PHPDA’s mission of providing health care services to low-income uninsured and under-insured persons in King County. The lease agreement with WRC.Com Tower LLC was signed in 1998 and was terminated in 2012.
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