Columbia Center, Commercial skyscraper in downtown Seattle, United States.
Columbia Center is a 76-story skyscraper occupying most of the block bounded by Fourth and Fifth Avenues and Cherry and Columbia Streets in downtown Seattle. It reaches 284 m (933 ft), making it the tallest building in Washington state. Its dark glass facade is divided into three concave surfaces with two setbacks, so it reads as three towers side by side; the base is clad in Rosa Purino Carnelian granite. The 73rd floor holds the Sky View Observatory.
Martin Selig announced the 75-story Columbia Center in October 1980, funded by Seafirst Mortgage Company and built by Howard S. Wright. Construction began in 1982 with a 37-meter-deep excavation; the steel rose at two floors per week. The building was completed on January 12, 1985, and opened on March 2, 1985.
The Columbia Center hosts the LLS Firefighter Stairclimb, in which about 2,000 firefighters from around the world climb 69 floors and 1,311 steps in full structural turnout gear, with the ascent broadcast on air. Proceeds go to the Washington/Alaska chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. A sister event, the Big Climb, draws roughly 6,000 participants and has raised more than $3 million for the same cause.
The observation deck offers wide views over the city, the bay, and surrounding mountains, and is open most days. Visitors should note that the building is an active office tower and some areas are accessible only to tenants.
Three concave facade surfaces and two stepped setbacks give the tower an unusual shape that sets it apart from the rectangular design of other high-rises. This architectural solution makes the building appear different depending on where the viewer stands.
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