Seattle Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Seattle Tower |
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Viewed from the Russell Investments Center
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| Former names | Northern Life Tower |
| General information | |
| Type | office |
| Location | 1218 Third Avenue, Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Coordinates | 47°36′28″N 122°20′08″W / 47.6077°N 122.3355°W |
| Groundbreaking | February 17, 1928 |
| Opened | March 1929 |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 106.6 m (350 ft) |
| Roof | 105.7 m (347 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 27 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Albertson, Wilson & Richardson |
| References | |
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Northern Life Tower
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 Location in Washington (state)
Location in the United States
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| Built | 1928 |
| Architect | Abraham H. Albertson |
| Architectural style | Art Deco, Modernistic |
| NRHP reference No. | 75001857 |
| Added to NRHP | May 30, 1975 |
The Seattle Tower, first called the Northern Life Tower, is a 27-story skyscraper in downtown Seattle, Washington. You can find it at 1218 Third Avenue. This building is famous for being Seattle's first Art Deco tower.
Its unique outside look is like a ziggurat, which is a stepped pyramid shape. The building is covered in 33 different shades of brick. These bricks are arranged to create a gradient, meaning the color gets lighter from the bottom to the top. People say this design was inspired by the natural rock formations found in the area.
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Building a Dream Tower
The Northern Life Insurance Company was started in Seattle by D. B. and T. M. Morgan. They began with a small office and grew over time. After T. M. Morgan passed away in 1919, D. B. Morgan decided to build his own company headquarters. He wanted it to be "finer than anything on the Pacific Coast."
Plans for the building were announced in April 1927. It was first planned to be 24 stories tall. However, the design was changed, and it became 27 stories. When it was finished in 1928, the Northern Life Tower was one floor higher above sea level than the Smith Tower. The Smith Tower used to be known as "the tallest building west of the Mississippi."
A New Look for Seattle
The Northern Life Tower changed how Seattle's skyline looked. Buildings before it often copied older, classical styles. But in the 1920s, architects started to like designs that showed speed, efficiency, and power. They saw technology as a hope for the future.
The Northern Life Tower was the first building in Seattle to show this new style. It is now known as Art Deco or Art Moderne. The building's smooth, simple, and almost machine-like outside look was very popular. This design was inspired by Eliel Saarinen's famous proposal for the Chicago Tribune contest.
Lights and Legacy
The building once had special lighting that showed this belief in progress. More than 200 floodlights would slowly change colors. This "phantasmagoric display" was meant to look like the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. This was a clever nod to the Northern Life Insurance Company's name. It also showed the idea that science could copy nature's most amazing sights.
Today, those special lights are gone. Newer and taller skyscrapers now stand around the Seattle Tower. But it is still known as one of the most elegant Art Deco buildings in the Northwest.
Historic Recognition
The Seattle Tower is an important part of history. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. This means it is recognized as a significant historical place in the United States. It is also a special city landmark in Seattle.
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: Seattle Tower para niños
