Smith Tower Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Smith Tower
Smith Tower as seen from the Pacific Building.
Alternative names	L.C. Smith Building (1914–1929)
Record height
Tallest in Seattle and Washington state from 1914 to 1962
Preceded by	Hoge Building (Seattle) Key Bank Center (Tacoma/statewide)
Surpassed by	Space Needle
General information
Type	Commercial offices Residential
Location	500 Second Avenue Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Coordinates	47°36′08″N 122°19′54″W / 47.602092°N 122.331803°W / 47.602092; -122.331803
Construction started	1911
Completed	1914
Cost	US$1.5 million
Owner	Unico Properties
Height
Antenna spire	484 ft (148 m)
Roof	462 ft (141 m)
Technical details
Floor count	38
Floor area	28,275 m² (304,350 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators	7
Design and construction
Architect	Gaggin & Gaggin
Main contractor	E.E. Davis Company

Seattle Landmark
Designated:	June 12, 1984

The Smith Tower is a very tall building, called a skyscraper, located in the Pioneer Square area of Seattle, Washington, United States. It was finished in 1914. This 38-story tower is 484 ft (148 m) tall. It is the oldest skyscraper in Seattle.

When it was built, the Smith Tower was one of the tallest skyscrapers outside New York City. It was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River until 1931. It also remained the tallest building on the U.S. West Coast for almost 50 years. The Space Needle became taller in 1962.

The tower is named after the person who had it built, Lyman Cornelius Smith. He was famous for making firearms and typewriters. In 1984, the Smith Tower was named a Seattle landmark.

Building History and Design
Smith Tower's Look and Feel
Images for kids
See also

Building History and Design

How the Smith Tower Was Built

In 1909, Lyman Cornelius Smith visited Seattle. He first planned to build a 14-story building. But his son, Burns Lyman Smith, convinced him to build a much taller skyscraper. They wanted it to be taller than Tacoma's National Realty Building.

Construction started in 1911. Lyman Smith did not live to see the building finished. The Smith Tower was completed in 1914. It reached a height of 143 m (469 ft) to the top of its pyramid. The very tip of the pinnacle was 159 m (522 ft) high.

Opening Day and Special Features

The Smith Tower opened to the public on July 4, 1914. More than 4,000 people from Seattle visited the 35th floor on that first day.

The building had a special room called the Chinese Room. Its name was changed later. This room had a beautiful carved teak wood ceiling. It also had furniture made of blackwood. The last Empress of China, Cixi, provided these furnishings.

A famous piece of furniture in the room was the Wishing Chair. This chair had carvings of a dragon and a phoenix. Together, these symbols meant marriage. People believed that if an unmarried person sat in the chair and made a wish, they would get married within a year. This legend came true for Smith's own daughter. She got married right there in the Chinese Room.

Who Owned the Tower?

Over the years, the Smith Tower has had several owners. In 1976, Ivar Haglund, who owned the famous Ivar's restaurant, bought the tower. He paid $1.8 million for it.

Later, the Samis Foundation bought the tower in 1996. In 2006, Walton Street Capital became the owner. The building was also updated twice, in 1986 and 1999.

Modern Changes and Renovations

In recent years, many technology companies have had offices in Smith Tower. The building has modern fiber-optic wiring.

In 2015, a company called Unico Properties bought the tower. They spent time remodeling the public areas. The Chinese Room was closed in 2014 and then permanently changed. A new restaurant with a Prohibition era theme opened on the Observatory floor. This was the same spot where the Chinese Room used to be. Some parts of the old Chinese Room, like the Wishing Chair and carved ceilings, were used in the new restaurant.

A new self-guided tour of Smith Tower started on August 25, 2016. The Observation floor bar also opened. Visitors could get into the bar with a tour ticket. The building was sold to Goldman Sachs in 2018.

Smith Tower's Look and Feel

Building Style and Materials

Smith Tower is built in a style called neoclassical architecture. This means it looks like old Greek and Roman buildings. The first two floors are covered in strong granite stone. The rest of the building is made of terracotta. The outside of the building has only been cleaned once, in 1976.

Inside the Tower: Elevators and More

The Smith Tower was one of the last buildings on the West Coast to use elevator operators. These are people who operate the elevators for you. The elevators were made by the Otis Elevator Company. They have shiny brass surfaces.

The original elevator doors were like crisscross gates. This meant you could see into each hallway as you rode. Starting in 2017, the elevators were updated to be automatic and faster. They also got new glass doors, so you can still see out.

After a renovation in the early 1990s, a large water tank was removed from the top of the tower. This space, along with an old apartment, became a three-story penthouse. It is the only home inside the building. A family lived there in 2010.

The Glass Dome

The very top of the building has an 8-foot-wide (2.4 m) glass dome. This dome glows with blue light most of the year. But in December, it changes to a green light.