Description

Seattle Municipal Tower is a 62-story, 220.07m skyscraper at 700 5th Avenue at the corner of 5th Avenue and Columbia Street in downtown Seattle, Washington. It is the fourth tallest building in Seattle. At its completion in 1990, the building was named AT&T Gateway Tower and later changed to Key Bank Tower reflecting the names of former anchor tenants AT&T and Key Bank.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 a square foot. The City purchased the property during a downturn in the economy, citing recommendations from two panels: the citizens' group, Capital Finance Review Board, concluded that purchasing the building would cost a minimum of $47 million less than constructing new facilities new construction and a minimum of $121 million less than renovating existing city facilities; and the Citizens Advisory Panel concluded that the building "(met) the great majority of the city's space needs."On May 17, 2004, the tower's name was officially changed to the current moniker.The building is attached to the Seattle Civic Center complex and is owned by the city, and 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.The Seattle City Council and offices of the Mayor of Seattle are located in the nearby Seattle City Hall.

The Arctic Building is a nine-story building in Seattle, Washington located at the Northeast corner of Third Avenue and Cherry Street. The building was built for the Arctic Club in 1916 and was occupied by them from construction until the club's dissolution in 1971. It is entirely faced with cream white terra cotta with submarine blue and orange-brown accents. It is particularly noted for the terra cotta walrus-heads lining the third floor of the building. Recently restored, the building has been adapted for use as a luxury hotel, Arctic Club Seattle (a DoubleTree by Hilton). It was listed in 1978 on the National Register of Historic Places.HistoryThe site of the Arctic building was originally owned by Joseph R. Lewis, the Chief Justice of Washington Territory and a direct descendant of George Washington's sister Betty. The home he built on the site in 1875 was considered one of the finest in Seattle at the time. The house was replaced in 1892 by the three-story, brick Seattle Theatre, designed by the firm of Saunders and Lawton. The newly formed Rainier Club occupied the office portion of the building until it and the theater were replaced by the Arctic Club Building in 1916.The Arctic Club was formed in 1908 by successful veterans of the Klondike Gold Rush. The existing Alaska Club was merged that year into the Arctic Club. In Seattle, it was a fraternal men's club for businessmen with Gold Rush or Alaska connections. Another Arctic Club was established in New York City, with membership based on exploration of wilderness areas in the Arctic. The Arctic Club in Seattle was initially located in 1909 on 3rd Avenue and Jefferson Street in the Morrison Hotel, also known as the Arctic Club Building.

La Biblioteca Centrale di Seattle è la struttura più importante del sistema bibliotecario pubblico di Seattle. L'edificio, alto 11 piani e realizzato in vetro e acciaio, fu aperto al pubblico il 23 maggio 2004. La biblioteca ha una superficie di 34.000 m2 e può contenere fino a un milione e quattrocentocinquantamila libri. Nel primo anno di apertura fu visitata da oltre 2 milioni di persone.StoriaSin dal 1891 c'è sempre stata una biblioteca nel centro di Seattle, tuttavia inizialmente questa non aveva degli spazi dedicati e fu spesso costretta a cambiare edificio. La Seattle Carnegie Library fu la prima biblioteca permanente ad essere collocata in un edificio specifico; inizialmente aveva una superficie di 5100 m2 e fu ingrandita nel 1946. Nonostante i lavori di espansione, la biblioteca si rivelò progressivamente troppo piccola per una città che, nel frattempo, aveva aumentato notevolmente la popolazione. Una seconda biblioteca di 19.100 m2 fu costruita al posto della vecchia Carnegie Library nel 1960 ma verso la fine degli anni '90 anche questa nuova biblioteca cominciò ad essere troppo piccola e iniziarono i progetti per costruirne una nuova.Realizzazione e DesignI fondi per la costruzione della nuova biblioteca furono trovati tramite l'emissione di una obbligazione per un valore complessivo di 196,4 milioni di dollari, inoltre anche Bill Gates, fondatore della Microsoft contribuì con 20 milioni di dollari. L'edificio fu progettato da Rem Koolhaas e Joshua Prince-Ramus in collaborazione con lo studio di architetti di Seattle LMN Architects. La biblioteca fu concepita come un'opera di celebrazione dei libri e la sua forma dall'esterno è inusuale poiché si è scelto di assoggettare la struttura dell'edificio alle funzioni che dovevano essere svolte all'interno piuttosto che il contrario.