Seattle Municipal Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Seattle Municipal Tower |
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| 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°36′18″N 122°19′47″W / 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 |
The Seattle Municipal Tower is a very tall building, also known as a skyscraper, located in downtown Seattle, Washington. It stands about 220 meters (722 feet) high. This makes it the fourth-tallest building in Seattle.
It was finished in 1990. When it first opened, it was called the AT&T Gateway Tower. Later, it was known as the KeyBank Tower. These names came from the main companies that rented space there. On May 17, 2004, it got its current name, Seattle Municipal Tower.
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Why the City Bought the Tower
The City of Seattle bought the Key Tower in early 1996. They wanted to use it for city services and government offices. The city paid $124 million for the building. This happened when the economy was not doing very well.
Buying the building saved the city a lot of money. Experts said it would cost at least $47 million less than building new offices. It would also save $121 million compared to fixing up old city buildings. The building was a good fit for most of the city's office needs.
What's Inside the Tower
The Seattle Municipal Tower is connected to the Seattle Civic Center complex. The City of Seattle owns the building. Many important government offices are located here.
These offices include the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections. Also, Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities are in the tower. The Department of IT, Human Services Department, and Office of Economic Development are there too.
The main offices for the Seattle City Council and the Mayor of Seattle are in the nearby Seattle City Hall.
Cool Facts About the Tower's Design
The Municipal Tower was designed by Bassetti/Norton/Metler/Rekevics Architects. This same group also designed the Jackson Federal Building. They also helped design the new Seattle City Hall.
- The stairs between the plaza, lobby, and tunnel levels are quite unique. The building also had to be built over a freeway entrance ramp, which was a challenge.
- The main lobby is on floor 4, not floor 1. This is different from most buildings in the United States.
- The elevators are split into two groups: lower and upper. To reach floors above 40, you must take an elevator to the "sky lobby" on floor 40. From there, you switch to a second elevator to go higher. To reach floor 62, or "The Tip," you need a special badge and a private elevator from floor 61.
- The building has three restaurants. They are on an upper plaza, which is the 6th floor. Only one of them has an entrance from inside the building.
- You cannot reach the plaza and tunnel levels using the main elevators. You have to transfer to the parking-garage elevators on floor 4. Or, you can use the decorative staircase.
- The glass dome at the very top of the building is not an office space. It holds equipment for the elevators.
See also
In Spanish: Seattle Municipal Tower para niños
