Things to do / Travel Guide
Architecture around Seattle
The most iconic image associated with the architecture of the northwest Washington and Cascades region is, hands down, the Seattle Space Needle. Combining two different designs, one of a giant balloon tethered to the ground (a concept created by businessman Edward Carlson), and that of a giant flying saucer (a design drafted by architect John Graham), the Seattle Space Needle was actually designed by Victor Steinbrueck for the 1962 World's Fair. Built to withstand even the most powerful of earthquakes, the Space Needle held its own during a 1965 earthquake registering 6.8 on the Richter Scale, and emerged without any major structural damage. Also designed to withstand powerful winds and inclement weather, the Space Needle only sways about an inch per every 10 miles per hour of wind speed.
Another architectural marvel in Seattle is the postmodern Bank of America Tower, a fine example of glass and steel architectural design. It appears in the Seattle skyline as though it is peeking out over the tops of the other downtown buildings. The Bank of America Tower took over $200 million and three years to build and was opened in 1985. Standing at a height of 997 feet, the Bank of America Tower is located at 708 Fifth Avenue in Seattle.
Pioneer Square is where the modern-day city of Seattle was founded; today it is a National Historic District. Initially destroyed by the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, Pioneer Square was rebuilt using a specific kind of Romanesque Revival architectural style. Romanesque architecture attempts to link the architectural style of medieval Europe with Roman-style architecture by using round arches and barrel vaults and cruciform buttresses. The elements of Romanesque architecture have been revived, as characterized by late 19th-century brick and stone buildings around Pioneer Square, with some added twists including cobblestone streets with glass-tiled sidewalks. The Pioneer Building, for instance, has incorporated the arch designs of this style, whereas the Smith Tower was built with terra-cotta and meant to dominate and anchor Pioneer Square.
Seattle, straddling a number of islands and peninsulas, is famous for its bridges.
- The Ballard Bridge - This bridge links the Queen Anne neighborhood with the Ballard neighborhood and crosses over the Lake Washington Ship Canal.
- The Fremont Bridge - This bridge crosses over the Lake Washington Shipping Canal and links the Fremont neighborhood with the Queen Anne neighborhood. The most notable detail of the Fremont Bridge is the color, chosen by a 1985 poll conducted by the Fremont Arts Council. The Fremont Bridge now dons two colors, orange and blue. In addition, the Fremont Bridge is one of the busiest bascule bridges on earth.
- The Southwest Spokane Street Swing Bridge - Completed in 1991, the bridge reaches across the Duwamish River, linking the southern industrial part of Seattle with Harbor Island. The Southwest Spokane Street Swing Bridge is the world's only hydraulically-operated concrete double-leaf swing bridge. Seattle Department of Transportation has won many engineering awards for this bridge.
- The University Bridge - It spans Portage Bay, linking the Capitol Hill neighborhood with the Eastlake community.
- The Elliot Avenue Helix Bridge - This is a pedestrian bridge that suggests the double helix structure of DNA molecules. The architect, commissioned by Amgen for a bridge linking their biotechnology research facility to a main Seattle thoroughfare, Elliot Avenue, takes the “form follows function” concept very seriously. What an interesting way to cross 11 sets of train tracks!
Architecture around Tacoma
Downtown Tacoma's Union Station is an architectural marvel topped by a neo-Classical copper dome designed by the same architects who built New York City's Grand Central Terminal. Erected in 1911, Union Station sits in the center of a red-brick neighborhood. The airy and translucent three-tiered rotunda inside the building is enhanced by a collage of poppy-red glass depicting scenes of local nature and foliage. Once a train station, Union Station began to house federal courts during the 1980s.
Dale Chihuly, possibly the world's greatest glass artist, is a Tacoma native and has installed his works in several local displays. Besides the collection at the Tacoma Art Museum, some of his largest works are housed in Union Station. Crossing the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, a 500-foot pedestrian walkway linking the downtown area to the Tacoma waterfront, is an unforgettable visual experience.
Also in Tacoma is the Stadium District, located down North Tacoma Avenue just past Garfield Park. The Stadium District features a fine collection of houses built in the Victorian style, as well as the multi-turreted Stadium High School, its most prominent structure. Covered in ivy, the Stadium High School, located on the corner of North First Street and Broadway, was originally conceived in the early 1900s as a massive luxury hotel, but it never served that purpose. In 1906 the Tacoma School District saved the building from demolition and turned the building into an “architecturally imposing” high school.
Last, but certainly not least, Tacoma was home to “Galloping Gertie,” i.e., the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which spanned the distance from Tacoma to Gig Harbor, carrying State Route 16 across the Tacoma Narrows of the Puget Sound. Famously, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed in 1940 when resonant wind snapped the bridge in half (the event was caught on film, by the way!). The replacement bridge you see today was built and opened in 1950.
Architecture around Olympia
In Olympia, visitors can check out the architectural innovation that is the State Capital Campus. The innovation here is that Washington State, unlike most other American states, does not house the capitol in just one building, but rather in a series of buildings, each with its own distinctive style. For instance, the dome of the Washington State Legislative Building, at 287 feet high, exceeds the height of the United States Capitol Building as well as the height of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, and is famous for a Tiffany-designed chandelier hanging in the rotunda. Also in Olympia is the Old State Capitol building, a prominent example of Romanesque-Revival architecture.
Architecture around Port Townsend
Port Townsend, out on the Olympic Peninsula, is home to one of the best-preserved Victorian seaports in the United States. A booming period in the 1800s brought fortunes to the area that were translated into mansions and commercial building. The subsequent bust froze the town's architectural life in the Victorian period. A concerned population, which appreciates the area's history, architecture, and location, gives us this authentically preserved town. Port Townsend brims over with elaborately-styled Victorian storefronts that have been recently revitalized, and is now home to bookstores, clothing boutiques, regional art galleries, and vintage hotels. The Jefferson County Courthouse, for instance, is a beaming brick clock tower designed in 1892 by Willis A. Ritchie. The tower is the crown jewel of Port Townsend's Victorian style architecture and, standing at 124 feet high, is one of the tallest buildings in town. If you want to see the best collections of historically significant architecture, make your way to Water Street in downtown, and to Tyler Street uptown.
Architecture in the Cascades
If you are not a stickler for 100% authenticity, don't miss the Bavarian architecture of Leavenworth and the Wild West architecture of Winthrop.
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