Federal Office Building, Federal office complex in downtown Seattle, United States

The Federal Office Building occupies a full block between Madison and Marion streets and First and Western avenues. Its stepped facade rises from six to nine stories, with a central tower reaching eleven stories and topped by a ziggurat and flagpole. Cast aluminum spandrel panels between the third- and sixth-floor windows show federal agency insignia and geometric designs.

The building was constructed in 1933 under the direction of James A. Wetmore and was the first government office structure of its kind in Seattle's history. It marked a turning point in the city's development as the city needed a modern government center.

The lobby keeps its original Art Deco finishes: dark red terra-cotta tile with Tokeen marble from Alaska at the baseboards, walls of light gray Wilkeson sandstone and a coffered ceiling. Four elevators have cast-bronze doors with floral motifs, and bronze reverse-pyramid light fixtures remain in place. The U.S. Post Office at the north end of the vestibule, entered between stained oak pilasters, is nearly unchanged since 1933, with two original service windows in carved oak.

The building occupies the block bounded by Madison and Marion streets and First and Western avenues, across from the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building. The First Avenue entrance leads into a vestibule with bronze-and-glass doors, then the public lobby and the post office. The postal lobby, nearly unchanged since 1933, is reached through an opening flanked by stained oak pilasters.

The building stands on a site of great historical importance: Seattle's founders settled here in 1851, and the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 began at this location. These two events shaped the entire history of the city.