United Shopping Tower facts for kids
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United Shopping Tower
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| Location | 217 Pine St. Seattle, Washington |
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| Built | 1929, 1939,41 (additions) |
| Architect | Henry Bittman |
| Architectural style | Art Deco, neo-gothic |
| NRHP reference No. | 80004004 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | August 18, 1980 |
The Olympic Tower is a historic 12-story office building in Seattle, Washington. It has had a few names over the years, starting as the United Shopping Tower. Later, it was called the Northwestern Mutual Insurance Building and the Olympic Savings Tower. This building is so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
It was built in 1929 for a company called United Pacific Corporation. The famous architect Henry Bittman designed the building. He also designed additions to it later in 1939.
The tower is made of strong materials like reinforced concrete and terra cotta (a type of baked clay). It has ten stories that are set back from 3rd Avenue. The building also has a three-story base that fills the entire lot. A lot of the building's outside walls are made of large windows. These windows let in lots of natural light. When it was built, people said it had more glass than any other building in Seattle!
The building was first meant to be a special kind of shopping center. Each floor was supposed to have one unique store. There was even a tea room planned for the tenth floor. It was one of the first indoor shopping centers in the Pacific Northwest. The original plans also included a putting green on the roof of the second floor. This putting green would have been for a sporting goods store.
However, the idea of a "vertical mall" didn't work out. By 1932, the building was changed into offices. It became the home for the Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company. Later, it housed the Olympic Savings Bank. After the bank closed in 1994, it was sold and became office space again. The building was named a City of Seattle Landmark on May 18, 1987.
Contents
History of the Olympic Tower
Building Plans Announced
In late 1928, a company called United Shopping Tower Inc. bought the land where the building now stands. This land was in a busy shopping area of Seattle. The company announced plans for a new $700,000 retail tower. It would be ten stories tall, but this was later changed to twelve stories. The idea was that each floor would have one special store. There would also be a tea room at the very top.
Construction Begins
Work started on December 3, 1928, by tearing down an old hotel. The architect, Henry Bittman, hired Hendrickson & Alstrom to build the tower. Much of the outside of the building was made with terra cotta. This material came from the University Brick & Tile Company. Construction began in January 1929 and was mostly finished by late August.
Some of the first businesses to move in included a discount department store in the basement. The Puget Sound Power and Light Company also rented space. A photography studio took up most of the twelfth floor. There was even a small 13th floor used for storage.
Building Opens to the Public
The building officially opened on November 2, 1929. The lobby, which is on Pine Street, was beautifully decorated. It had shiny marble and dark mahogany wood. There were also display cases for the stores to show their products. The building had two fast Otis elevators. These elevators were also decorated with marble and bronze.
One cool thing about the building was its rooftop garden. A newspaper, The Seattle Times, wrote about it. It said the garden had tall plants and shrubs. You could even see them from the street! This made the downtown area feel very unique. Later in 1929, a radio station, KPBC (which became KIRO), opened a studio in the building.
Northwestern Mutual Insurance Building Era
The "vertical shopping" idea didn't work well, especially during the Great Depression. Businesses needed to be seen easily, and a tall building with one store per floor wasn't helping. So, in December 1932, a big insurance company called Northwestern Mutual Fire Association rented most of the empty space. They renamed the building the Northwestern Mutual Insurance Building.
In February 1933, after some updates, the company moved in. They used many floors, from the basement to the top. Any remaining stores had to leave.
The building was supposed to have a tall pole, or mast, on top. This mast was finally built in 1937. From 1939 to 1940, a 60-foot tall spire on the building was used as a giant "thermometer." It would light up to show how much money Seattle's Community Campaign fund had raised. Each section that lit up meant $100,000 had been donated. A light at the very top showed when the final goal was reached. The mast was removed in 1971 because it needed too much repair.
In 1939, the building's architect, Henry Bittman, designed an expansion. This added more space to the third floor for the insurance company. Another big expansion happened in 1941. This made the tower longer towards the alley. During World War II, the second floor was used as a center for men joining the military. In the 1950s, the lobby was updated. Some of its fancy decorations, like the bronze elevator doors, were removed.
Olympic Tower and Later Years
In 1974, Northwestern Mutual changed its name and moved most of its offices. The building was then called the "Insurance Building" for a short time. In 1979, a company called Securities Financial, Inc. bought the building. This company was part of Olympic Savings & Loan Association.
Olympic Savings decided to give the building a big makeover. They removed old additions and cleaned the outside. They also updated the building's systems. After this restoration, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This happened in 1980.
In early 1980, the building became the main office for Olympic Savings. It was officially renamed the Olympic Tower. It even had a bank branch on the ground floor. After Olympic Savings closed in 1993, a company from Singapore bought the tower. Today, the building is owned by Olympic Tower LLC. It has offices and condos inside.
Images for kids
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Close-up of elaborate terracotta at the tower's 12th floor
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A Northwest Mutual ad from 1940 showing the tower with spire
