Seattle Municipal Tower
Seattle Municipal Tower is a skyscraper in downtown Seattle, Washington. At 220.07 m (722.0 ft), it is the fourth-tallest building in the city. Completed in 1990, it was initially named AT&T Gateway Tower and subsequently KeyBank Tower after its anchor tenants AT&T and KeyBank. It was given its current name on May 17, 2004.[5]
| Seattle Municipal Tower | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location within downtown Seattle | |
| Former names | AT&T Gateway Tower Key Bank Tower |
| General information | |
| Type | Government |
| Location | 700 Fifth Avenue Seattle Civic Center Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 47.6051°N 122.3298°W |
| Construction started | 1987 |
| Completed | 1990 |
| Owner | City of Seattle Government |
| Management | CB Richard Ellis |
| Height | |
| Roof | 220.07 m (722.0 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 62 |
| Floor area | 92,024 m2 (990,540 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Bassetti Architects |
| Structural engineer | Magnusson Klemencic Associates |
| Main contractor | University Mechanical Contractors |
| References | |
| [1][2][3][4] | |
History
The City of Seattle purchased Key Tower in early 1996 to house utilities and general government functions. The purchase price was $124 million, or $124 per square foot.[6] The city purchased the property during a downturn in the economy, citing recommendations from two panels: the citizens' group, Capital Finance Review Board, which concluded that purchasing the building would cost a minimum of $47 million less than constructing new facilities and a minimum of $121 million less than renovating existing city facilities; and the Citizens Advisory Panel, which concluded that the building "(met) the great majority of the city's space needs."[7]
The building is attached to the Seattle Civic Center complex and is owned by the city. It houses several government offices including the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, Seattle City Light, Seattle Public Utilities, the Department of IT, Human Services Department, and the Office of Economic Development.[8]
The Seattle City Council and offices of the Mayor of Seattle are located in the nearby Seattle City Hall.
Design
The Municipal Tower was designed by Bassetti/Norton/Metler/Rekevics Architects, who also designed the Jackson Federal Building, and (under their current name) were the architect of record for the new Seattle City Hall.
- The stairs between the plaza, lobby and tunnel levels are unusual and its site has the challenge of straddling 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 building's three restaurants are on an upper plaza (6th floor) and only one has an inside entrance.
- The plaza and tunnel levels can not 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 glass cupola at the building's crest is not occupied space; it contains elevator equipment.
References
- "Seattle Municipal Tower". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.
- Seattle Municipal Tower at Emporis
- "Seattle Municipal Tower". SkyscraperPage.
- Seattle Municipal Tower at Structurae
- Seattle Fleets and Facilities - Municipal Tower webpage. Retrieved January 31, 2014
- Seattle's Super Broker, Seattle Business Magazine, November 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2014
- Council Hears From Public On Key Tower Plan, The Seattle Times, July 26, 1995. retrieved January 31, 2014
- "Departments and Agencies". Seattle.gov. 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2010.