1600 Seventh Avenue, Modern skyscraper in Downtown Seattle, United States.
1600 Seventh Avenue is a 32-story, 498 ft (152 m) skyscraper in downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. Designed by John Graham & Company, it was completed in 1976 and is the 22nd-tallest building in the city as of 2022. The building has a utilitarian design with a concrete framework and rectangular glass panels. It was originally built as the headquarters of Pacific Northwest Bell and was first known as the Pacific Northwest Bell Building during construction and subsequently as 1600 Bell Plaza upon opening.
Pacific Northwest Bell had used up to 12 Seattle buildings since the 1920s before consolidating its headquarters here. Hoffman Construction of Portland was general contractor; the tower was topped off in July 1975 and dedicated on November 22, 1976, with Governor Dan Evans and actor Don Ameche, who had played Alexander Graham Bell, attending. Construction cost about $40 million.
The building shows how American corporate design evolved in the 1970s, moving toward clean lines and useful spaces for work. Its structured form represents the values that shaped downtown office districts during this period.
The tower occupies a full block in downtown Seattle, with Nordstrom holding floors 4–6 and 16–32 and retail at street level. Lower floors are leased to CenturyLink and WeWork, so the lobby sees steady office traffic on weekdays. The building is a working office address rather than a visitor attraction; it is best seen from the surrounding streets.
The building's name came from a 1976 contest judged among 2,000 entries; employee Bev Ardueser proposed "1600 Bell Plaza", the name it carried at dedication. The topping-off in July 1975 passed without ceremony, as the company feared reaction to a pending rate increase meant to raise $64 million.
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