Safeco Plaza facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Safeco Plaza |
|
|---|---|
Safeco Plaza viewed from the sundeck of Washington Mutual Tower in 2008; Columbia Center is directly behind it
|
|
| Alternative names | 1001 Fourth Avenue Plaza Seafirst Building Seattle First National Bank Building |
| Record height | |
| Tallest in Seattle and Washington state from 1969 to 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Space Needle |
| Surpassed by | Columbia Center |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Location | 1001 Fourth Avenue Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 47°36′22″N 122°20′03″W / 47.6061°N 122.3341°W |
| Construction started | 1966 |
| Completed | 1969 |
| Cost | $32 million |
| Owner | Boston Properties |
| Height | |
| Roof | 192 m (630 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 50 |
| Floor area | 70,089 m2 (754,430 sq ft) |
| Lifts/elevators | 18 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Naramore, Bain, Bray, and Johanson |
| Structural engineer | Skilling Helle Christiansen and Robertson |
| Main contractor | Howard S. Wright Construction Company |
Safeco Plaza is a very tall building, called a skyscraper, located in Downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. It has 50 floors! This building was finished in 1969. It was designed by a company called NBBJ and built by Howard S. Wright Construction Company. It was first built for the Seattle-First National Bank, which later became Seafirst Bank.
When it was finished, Safeco Plaza was the tallest building in Seattle. It stood at 630 feet (192 meters) high. It was even taller than the famous Space Needle by 25 feet! Because of this, some people jokingly called it "The Box the Space Needle Came In." In 1984, another building called the Columbia Center became taller. Today, Safeco Plaza is the seventh-tallest building in Seattle.
Seafirst Bank used this building as its main office until 1985. Then, in 2006, Safeco Insurance moved in and made it their main office. That's why it's now called Safeco Plaza.
Contents
Building Design and Cool Features
This building looks modern with its bronze-colored aluminum and glass. It was the first "Class-A" office building in Seattle. This means it was built with very high quality and has all the best features for businesses. It was also the first skyscraper in the world to use a special strong design called a "Vierendeel space frame."
Inside, the building has a large, two-story main entrance area. There's also a big parking garage that goes five floors underground. On the ground floor, you can find many useful things like a fitness center, a bank, places to eat, a medical center, and even a post office. The building also has a helipad on its roof, which is a special landing spot for helicopters.
There used to be a famous restaurant called Mirabeau on the 46th floor. It was a very popular place, but it closed down in 1991.
Right in front of the building, on the eastern side, you can see a cool piece of art. It's a large, abstract bronze sculpture called Three Piece Sculpture: Vertebrae. It was made by an artist named Henry Moore. Seafirst Bank put it there in 1971. Later, there was a plan to move it, but people wanted it to stay. So, the Bank of America (which took over Seafirst) donated it to the Seattle Art Museum, and it stayed right where it was.
History of Safeco Plaza
Safeco Plaza started as the main office for Seafirst Bank. In 1983, the bank sold the building to a company called JMB Realty for $123 million. This was a record amount for a building in Seattle at that time! Later, in 1993, another company bought it.
In 2005, two new owners, Hines and CalPERS, bought the building for $162 million. They planned to spend $30 million to make it even better and attract new big companies to rent offices there.
On May 23, 2006, Safeco Insurance Company of America decided to rent a large part of the building. They moved their main office here from another part of Seattle. When they moved in, the building was officially renamed Safeco Plaza. In 2015, Safeco decided to rent even more floors, increasing their space from 17 to 26 floors!
In 2016, two companies from Germany and South Korea bought Safeco Plaza for $387 million. Then, in 2021, they sold it to Boston Properties for an even higher price: $465 million.
Main Companies in Safeco Plaza
Many different companies have offices in Safeco Plaza. Some of the main ones include:
- Safeco Insurance
- Bank of America
- Riddell Williams
- Helsell Fetterman
- Fehr & Peers
- Interior Architects
- Business Service Center, Inc
See also
In Spanish: Safeco Plaza para niños
- Seafirst Bank
- List of tallest buildings in Seattle
