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List of tallest buildings in Seattle facts for kids

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Downtown Seattle skyline from Kerry Park - October 2019
Skyline of Seattle from Kerry Park on Queen Anne Hill, 2019

Seattle, Washington, in the United States, is the biggest city in the Pacific Northwest. It has 118 tall buildings, or skyscrapers, that are over 240 feet (73 meters) high. Fifty-two of these are even taller than 400 feet (122 meters)! As of 2016, 65 more tall buildings were being built or planned.

The tallest building in Seattle is the Columbia Center. It has 76 floors and stands 937 feet (286 meters) tall. It was finished in 1985. Today, it is the tallest building in Washington state and the 41st tallest in the whole United States. All of the 20 tallest buildings in Washington are found in Seattle.

Seattle's skyline is very impressive. It has the most skyscrapers over 493 feet (150 meters) in the Northwestern United States. It ranks third on the West Coast (after Los Angeles and San Francisco) and seventh in all of North America.

History of Seattle's Tall Buildings

See also: Architecture of Seattle

After the Great Seattle Fire on June 6, 1889, much of downtown Seattle needed to be rebuilt. New rules said that buildings had to be made from fireproof materials like stone and brick. By the end of 1890, 465 new buildings were finished. Later, money from the Klondike gold rush helped the city build even more modern, tall buildings.

The Pioneer Building was finished in 1892. Its observation tower was over 110 feet (34 meters) tall, making it Seattle's first modern tall building. In 1904, the Alaska Building was completed. It rose 203 feet (62 meters) and is thought to be Seattle's first true skyscraper. It was also the first tall building in the city to use a steel frame. This building was the tallest in Seattle until 1911, when the 18-story Hoge Building was finished, standing 205 feet (62 meters) tall. However, the clocktower of King Street Station, built in 1906, was even taller at 245 feet (75 meters).

Seattle kept growing, especially after hosting the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition in 1909. This led to a building boom in the downtown area. On July 4, 1914, Lyman Cornelius Smith opened the Smith Tower. This 484-foot (147-meter) tower became Seattle's new tallest building. For many years, it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. By the end of the 1920s, many new Art Deco style tall buildings over 200 feet (61 meters) were built. These included the Medical Dental Building (1925), Seattle Tower (1930), and Pacific Tower (1933).

Building new tall buildings in Seattle slowed down during the Great Depression and World War II. It also wasn't as fast in the 1950s as people started moving to the suburbs. The first new downtown building after the war was the Norton Building in 1959. This 19-story office building had a modern look with glass walls, very different from older styles. By 1959, office spaces in downtown buildings were much larger than retail spaces.

Seafirst Building, 1969
An aerial view of Downtown Seattle looking north in 1969, after the completion of the 50-story Seafirst Building

Seattle hosted the World's Fair in 1962. This event helped bring new life to the downtown area. The fair's main attraction was the Space Needle. This 605-foot (184-meter) observation tower became a symbol for Seattle. It was the first new structure to be taller than the Smith Tower.

In 1969, the 50-story Seafirst Building (now Safeco Plaza) opened. It stood 630 feet (192 meters) tall and became the city's tallest building. This marked the start of a huge building boom in Downtown Seattle. This boom lasted into the 1980s, even with some economic problems. During this time, 15 skyscrapers taller than 400 feet (122 meters) were built. These included the Rainier Tower (1977) and the First Interstate Center (1983). In the 1980s, over 14 million square feet (1.3 million square meters) of new office space was added. In 1984, the 76-story, 943-foot (287-meter) Columbia Center was finished. It became the tallest building in Seattle and on the West Coast of the United States.

Seattle skyline, circa 1986 (28153817145)
The Downtown Seattle skyline in 1986, viewed from Elliott Bay

The building boom of the 1980s ended with the Columbia Center and other towers like 1201 Third Avenue (1988) and the Gateway Tower (1990). So much new office space was built in this decade that it was more than what had been built in the previous 100 years! Some people worried that downtown Seattle was becoming too crowded, like "Manhattanization".

In 1989, voters approved a plan to limit building heights to 450 feet (137 meters) and control how much new space could be built each year. This plan changed how new buildings were designed and approved in Seattle.

In the early 1990s, building new tall buildings slowed down across the U.S. because there were too many empty offices. By 1992, almost 15% of downtown Seattle offices were empty. But the "dot-com bubble" of the late 1990s, helped by companies like Boeing and Microsoft, brought the empty office rate down to 6% by 1997. However, after the dot-com bubble burst in the early 2000s, empty offices went up again.

Two big downtown projects, the IDX Tower (2003) and WaMu Center (2006), were finished in the early 2000s. These were the first new office buildings since 1990. By the mid-2000s, empty office spaces improved. In 2006, a new downtown plan changed the rules again, allowing buildings to be much taller. This led to many new tall residential buildings being built in the late 2000s, like Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue (2008) and Escala (2009).

During the Great Recession, many downtown offices became empty again by 2010. But by 2013, things got better. This led to new tall office projects like The Mark and Madison Centre, both over 500 feet (152 meters) tall and opened in 2017. Other planned buildings include the Rainier Square Tower, which is Seattle's second-tallest building at 850 feet (259 meters). Since 2010, developers have also planned very tall residential towers, including a 101-story building called 4/C, which would be Seattle's tallest at 1,029 feet (314 meters).

Recently, many new tall buildings have been built in the Denny Triangle and South Lake Union areas, just north of downtown. These areas were changed to allow more building. Amazon.com moved its headquarters to the Denny Triangle, building several tall towers like the 520-foot (158-meter) Doppler and Day 1, which opened in 2016. The Denny Triangle also has the largest hotel in the region, the 45-story Hyatt Regency Seattle, finished in 2018.

Many new tall residential buildings have also been built in these areas, like Aspira (2010), Premiere on Pine, and the twin Insignia Towers in Belltown.

Tallest Completed Buildings

This list shows Seattle's skyscrapers that are at least 400 feet (122 meters) tall. The height includes spires and other architectural parts, but not antennas. The "Year" column shows when the building was finished. Freestanding observation towers, like the Space Needle, are included for comparison but are not ranked as they are not habitable buildings.

Rank Name Image Height
ft (m)		 Floors Use Year Coordinates Notes
1 Columbia Center Columbia center from smith tower.jpg 937 (286) 76 Office 1985 47°36′16.31″N 122°19′50.48″W / 47.6045306°N 122.3306889°W / 47.6045306; -122.3306889 (Columbia Center)
  • The 41st-tallest building in the United States.
  • Tallest building in Seattle and Washington state since 1985.
  • Was the tallest building on the West Coast when it was finished.
  • Has more floors than any other building west of the Mississippi River.
  • Its height was lowered because of concerns about a nearby flight path.
2 Rainier Square Tower Rainier Square Tower, May 2020 from 4th Avenue and Union Street.jpg 850 (259) 58 Office, Residential 2021 47°36′33.12″N 122°20′05.89″W / 47.6092000°N 122.3349694°W / 47.6092000; -122.3349694 (Rainier Square Tower)
  • The 64th-tallest building in the United States.
3 1201 Third Avenue Seattle Washington Mutual Tower 2004-08-30.jpg 772 (235) 55 Office 1988 47°36′25.92″N 122°20′09.96″W / 47.6072000°N 122.3361000°W / 47.6072000; -122.3361000 (1201 Third Avenue)
  • The 98th-tallest building in the United States.
4 Two Union Square Two Union Square 2.jpg 740 (226) 56 Office 1989 47°36′37.38″N 122°19′55.33″W / 47.6103833°N 122.3320361°W / 47.6103833; -122.3320361 (Two Union Square)
  • The 129th-tallest building in the United States.
5 Seattle Municipal Tower Seattle Municipal Tower.JPG 722 (220) 62 Office 1990 47°36′18.36″N 122°19′47.28″W / 47.6051000°N 122.3298000°W / 47.6051000; -122.3298000 (Seattle Municipal Tower)
  • The 151st-tallest building in the United States.
  • Tallest building built in Seattle in the 1990s.
6 F5 Tower F5 Tower - July 2017.jpg 660 (201) 43 Office/Hotel 2017 47°36′19.00″N 122°19′52.00″W / 47.6052778°N 122.3311111°W / 47.6052778; -122.3311111 (The Mark)
  • Tallest building built in Seattle in the 2010s.
7 Safeco Plaza 1001 Fourth Avenue Seattle Washington.jpg 630 (192) 50 Office 1969 47°36′21.96″N 122°20′02.76″W / 47.6061000°N 122.3341000°W / 47.6061000; -122.3341000 (Safeco Plaza)
  • Tallest building built in Seattle in the 1960s.
  • Was the tallest building in Seattle from 1969 to 1985.
8 U.S. Bank Center City Centre Seattle Washington.jpg 606 (185) 44 Office 1989 47°36′38.16″N 122°20′04.20″W / 47.6106000°N 122.3345000°W / 47.6106000; -122.3345000 (U.S. Bank Center)
— Space Needle VolunteerParkNeedle.jpg 605 (184) 5 Observation 1962 47°37′13.44″N 122°20′56.76″W / 47.6204000°N 122.3491000°W / 47.6204000; -122.3491000 (Space Needle)
  • Tallest observation tower in Washington.
  • 4th tallest observation tower in the United States.
9 Russell Investments Center WaMucenter.JPG 598 (182) 42 Office 2006 47°36′26.32″N 122°20′13.59″W / 47.6073111°N 122.3371083°W / 47.6073111; -122.3371083 (Russell Investments Center)
  • Tallest building built in Seattle in the 2000s.
10 DocuSign Tower Wells Fargo Center (Seattle).jpg 573 (175) 47 Office 1983 47°36′18.00″N 122°20′02.76″W / 47.6050000°N 122.3341000°W / 47.6050000; -122.3341000 (Wells Fargo Center)
11 800 Fifth Avenue Bank of America Fifth Avenue Plaza Building.jpg 543 (166) 42 Office 1981 47°36′20.88″N 122°19′48.72″W / 47.6058000°N 122.3302000°W / 47.6058000; -122.3302000 (Bank of America Fifth Avenue Plaza)
12 901 Fifth Avenue 901 Fifth Avenue (Seattle, Washington).jpg 536 (163) 41 Office 1973 47°36′20.99″N 122°19′55.20″W / 47.6058306°N 122.3320000°W / 47.6058306; -122.3320000 (901 Fifth Avenue)
  • Tallest building built in Seattle in the 1970s.
13 Madison Centre Madison Centre.jpg 530 (162) 36 Office 2017 47°36′23.29″N 122°19′52.61″W / 47.6064694°N 122.3312806°W / 47.6064694; -122.3312806 (Madison Centre)
14 Qualtrics Tower Qualtrics Tower (2+U) from Elliott Bay - August 2019.jpg 527 (161) 38 Office 2020 47°36′24.50″N 122°20′13.63″W / 47.6068056°N 122.3371194°W / 47.6068056; -122.3371194 (2&U)
15 Doppler Amazon Tower I topped out, June 2015.jpg 524 (160) 37 Office 2015 47°36′54.52″N 122°20′18.88″W / 47.6151444°N 122.3385778°W / 47.6151444; -122.3385778 (Amazon Doppler)
  • Also known as Amazon Tower I.
16 Day 1 Day 1 Tower Seattle WA Jan 17.jpg 521 (159) 37 Office 2016 47°36′57.13″N 122°20′23.46″W / 47.6158694°N 122.3398500°W / 47.6158694; -122.3398500 (Amazon Day 1)
  • Also known as Amazon Tower II.
17 re:Invent AmazonTowers1-3.jpg 520 (158) 37 Office 2019 47°36′59″N 122°20′20″W / 47.61639°N 122.33889°W / 47.61639; -122.33889 (Amazon re:Invent)
  • Also known as Amazon Tower III.
Hyatt Regency Seattle Hyatt Regency Seattle from Olive & Terry, July 2018.jpg 520 (158) 45 Hotel 2018 47°36′54.00″N 122°20′04.92″W / 47.6150000°N 122.3347000°W / 47.6150000; -122.3347000 (Hyatt Regency Seattle)
  • Tallest all-hotel building.
  • Largest hotel in the Pacific Northwest.
19 Rainier Tower Rainier Tower Seattle Washington.jpg 514 (157) 31 Office 1977 47°36′32.47″N 122°20′02.58″W / 47.6090194°N 122.3340500°W / 47.6090194; -122.3340500 (Rainier Tower)
20 Fourth and Madison Building Fourth and Madison building.jpg 512 (156) 40 Office 2002 47°36′19.79″N 122°19′58.91″W / 47.6054972°N 122.3330306°W / 47.6054972; -122.3330306 (Fourth and Madison Building)
21 1918 Eighth Avenue 1918 Eighth Avenue (Seattle, Washington).jpg 500 (152) 36 Office 2009 47°36′56.52″N 122°20′09.96″W / 47.6157000°N 122.3361000°W / 47.6157000; -122.3361000 (1918 Eighth Avenue)
22 1600 Seventh Avenue 1600 Seventh Avenue (Seattle) from Plymouth Pillars Park.jpg 498 (152) 33 Office 1976 47°36′47.52″N 122°20′03.84″W / 47.6132000°N 122.3344000°W / 47.6132000; -122.3344000 (1600 Seventh Avenue)
23 1000 Second Avenue 1000 Second Avenue, Seattle from 2nd & Marion.jpg 493 (150) 43 Office 1987 47°36′16.92″N 122°20′07.80″W / 47.6047000°N 122.3355000°W / 47.6047000; -122.3355000 (1000 Second Avenue)
24 Henry M. Jackson Federal Building Seattle - Jackson Federal Building 02.jpg 487 (148) 37 Office 1974 47°36′15.84″N 122°20′07.44″W / 47.6044000°N 122.3354000°W / 47.6044000; -122.3354000 (Henry M. Jackson Federal Building)
25 The Ivey on Boren 484 (148) 44 Residential 2022 47°37′05″N 122°20′07″W / 47.61806°N 122.33528°W / 47.61806; -122.33528 (2019 Boren Avenue)
26 Smith Tower SmithTower Seattle WA USA2.jpg 462 (141) 42 Office, Residential 1914 47°36′07.53″N 122°19′54.49″W / 47.6020917°N 122.3318028°W / 47.6020917; -122.3318028 (Smith Tower)
  • Tallest building built in Seattle in the 1910s.
  • Was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River until 1931.
  • Was the tallest building in Seattle from 1914 to 1969.
27 One Union Square One Union Square.jpg 456 (139) 36 Office 1981 47°36′34.89″N 122°19′55.52″W / 47.6096917°N 122.3320889°W / 47.6096917; -122.3320889 (One Union Square)
28 Olive 8 Seattle Olive-8 01.jpg 455 (139) 39 Hotel, Residential 2009 47°36′48.96″N 122°20′02.76″W / 47.6136000°N 122.3341000°W / 47.6136000; -122.3341000 (Olive 8)
29 1111 Third Avenue 1111 Third Avenue, Seattle, from the west.jpg 454 (138) 34 Office 1980 47°36′24.00″N 122°20′06.00″W / 47.6066667°N 122.3350000°W / 47.6066667; -122.3350000 (1111 Third Avenue)
30 Westin Seattle North Tower Westin Seattle from Olive 8.jpg 449 (137) 47 Hotel 1982 47°36′49.50″N 122°20′19.52″W / 47.6137500°N 122.3387556°W / 47.6137500; -122.3387556 (Westin Seattle North Tower)
31 McKenzie Apartments McKenzie Apartments from Amazon Day One, April 2018.jpg 446 (136) 39 Residential 2018 47°37′03.68″N 122°20′21.50″W / 47.6176889°N 122.3393056°W / 47.6176889; -122.3393056 (McKenzie Apartments)
32 Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue (Seattle).jpg 440 (134) 38 Residential 2008 47°36′33.48″N 122°20′22.20″W / 47.6093000°N 122.3395000°W / 47.6093000; -122.3395000 (Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue)
Premiere on Pine Premiere on Pine from Olive 8.jpg 440 (134) 42 Residential 2014 47°36′47.53″N 122°19′55.91″W / 47.6132028°N 122.3321972°W / 47.6132028; -122.3321972 (Premiere on Pine)
Cirrus Cirrus from 7th & Blanchard (23257327589).jpg 440 (134) 41 Residential 2015 47°36′59.46″N 122°20′14.64″W / 47.6165167°N 122.3374000°W / 47.6165167; -122.3374000 (Cirrus (Seattle))
Insignia South Tower Insignia Towers, Seattle.jpg 440 (134) 41 Residential 2015 47°36′59.50″N 122°20′35.53″W / 47.6165278°N 122.3432028°W / 47.6165278; -122.3432028 (Insignia South Tower)
Insignia North Tower 440 (134) 41 Residential 2016 47°37′01.29″N 122°20′37.36″W / 47.6170250°N 122.3437111°W / 47.6170250; -122.3437111 (Insignia North Tower)
Kinects Kinects tower from Stratus.jpg 440 (134) 40 Residential 2017 47°37′01.39″N 122°19′53.44″W / 47.6170528°N 122.3315111°W / 47.6170528; -122.3315111 (Kinects Tower)
Helios Helios (2nd & Pine) from Columbia Center.jpg 440 (134) 40 Residential 2017 47°36′38.38″N 122°20′22.95″W / 47.6106611°N 122.3397083°W / 47.6106611; -122.3397083 (Second & Pine Tower)
AMLI Arc AMLI Arc from Municipal Tower, Feb. 2018.jpg 440 (134) 36 Office, Residential 2017 47°36′59.55″N 122°19′53.28″W / 47.6165417°N 122.3314667°W / 47.6165417; -122.3314667 (AMLI Arc)
Stratus Stratus from Lenora Street, April 2018.jpg 440 (134) 41 Retail, Residential 2018 47°37′01.55″N 122°20′15.22″W / 47.6170972°N 122.3375611°W / 47.6170972; -122.3375611 (Stratus)
Arrivé Arrivé under construction, May 2018.jpg 440 (134) 41 Hotel, Residential 2019 47°36′51.91″N 122°20′30.24″W / 47.6144194°N 122.3417333°W / 47.6144194; -122.3417333 (2116 4th Avenue)
Modern Third and Lenora (Selig) under construction, Oct 2019.jpg 440 (134) 38 Office, Residential 2020 47°36′46.1″N 122°20′31.6″W / 47.612806°N 122.342111°W / 47.612806; -122.342111 (Modern)
Nexus Nexus Seattle under construction, May 2019.jpg 440 (134) 40 Residential 2020 47°37′01.90″N 122°19′50.10″W / 47.6171944°N 122.3305833°W / 47.6171944; -122.3305833 (Nexus)
Spire Spire at Denny & 7th, Seattle, WA - March 2021.jpg 440 (134) 41 Residential 2021 47°37′06.12″N 122°20′40.35″W / 47.6183667°N 122.3445417°W / 47.6183667; -122.3445417 (Spire)
Ren Ren Building Seattle Washington.png 440 (134) 41 Residential 2022 47°36′11.63″N 122°19′49.01″W / 47.6032306°N 122.3302806°W / 47.6032306; -122.3302806 (Ren)
45 The Emerald The Emerald at 2nd & Stewart, Seattle, WA - March 2021.jpg 435 (133) 40 Residential 2020 47°36′37.57″N 122°20′25.75″W / 47.6104361°N 122.3404861°W / 47.6104361; -122.3404861 (The Emerald)
West Edge Tower 2nd & Pike under construction, October 2017.jpg 435 (133) 35 Retail/Residential 2018 47°36′32.82″N 122°20′18.04″W / 47.6091167°N 122.3383444°W / 47.6091167; -122.3383444 (West Edge)
Kiara 970 Denny construction, Sept. 2017 (37127995220).jpg 435 (133) 40 Residential 2018 47°37′08.85″N 122°20′15.38″W / 47.6191250°N 122.3376056°W / 47.6191250; -122.3376056 (Kiara)
49 OSLU North Tower 1120 Denny Way (Onni SLU) under construction, March 2021.jpg 425 (130) 41 Residential 2022 47°37′7.1″N 122°20′7.2″W / 47.618639°N 122.335333°W / 47.618639; -122.335333 (1220 Denny Way)
50 OSLU South Tower 1120 Denny Way (Onni SLU) under construction, March 2021.jpg 415 (126) 41 Residential 2022 47°37′7.1″N 122°20′7.2″W / 47.618639°N 122.335333°W / 47.618639; -122.335333 (1220 Denny Way)
51 Westin Building Westin Building from Lenora Street.jpg 409 (125) 34 Office 1981 47°36′51.48″N 122°20′18.60″W / 47.6143000°N 122.3385000°W / 47.6143000; -122.3385000 (Westin Building)
52 Aspira Aspira from Virginia & Boren, Seattle (23516661022).jpg 400 (122) 37 Residential 2009 47°36′57.77″N 122°20′00.50″W / 47.6160472°N 122.3334722°W / 47.6160472; -122.3334722 (Aspira (Seattle))

Future Tall Buildings

Seattle continues to grow, and many new tall buildings are being planned or built. Some of these future buildings are expected to be over 400 feet (122 meters) tall. For example, the 4/C tower is proposed to be 1,029 feet (314 meters) tall, which would make it the tallest building in Seattle!

Timeline of Tallest Buildings

This list shows which buildings were once the tallest in Seattle. The Space Needle is not a building, so it's not on this list, even though it was the tallest structure in the city from 1961 to 1969.

Name Image Street address Years as tallest Height
ft (m)		 Floors Reference
Pioneer Building Seattle - Pioneer Building - 1900.jpg 612 1st Avenue 1892–1904 (12 years) 110 (34) 6
Alaska Building Seattle - Alaska Building 01.jpg 618 2nd Avenue 1904–1906 (2 years) 203 (62) 14
King Street Station Tower King Street Station from CenturyLink Field (18065470218).jpg 303 South Jackson Street 1906–1914 (8 years) 245 (75) 8
Smith Tower Seattle - Smith Tower 01.jpg 506 2nd Avenue 1914–1969 (55 years) 489 (149) 38
Safeco Plaza 1001 Fourth Avenue Seattle Washington.jpg 1001 4th Avenue 1969–1985 (16 years) 630 (192) 50
Columbia Center Columbia center from smith tower.jpg 701 5th Avenue 1985–present 937 (286) 76

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Anexo:Edificios más altos de Seattle para niños

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