Columbia Center

The Columbia Center or Columbia Tower, formerly named the Bank of America Tower and Columbia Seafirst Center, is a skyscraper in downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. This impressive building has 76 stories and reaches a height of 933 feet (284 meters). When it was finished in 1985, the Columbia Center was the tallest building on the West Coast. As of 2017, it is the fourth-tallest building, with taller ones now standing in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Built by Martin Selig and designed by Chester L. Lindsey Architects, the Columbia Center's construction started in 1982 and ended in 1985. Many companies rent office space in the building, and the lower floors have shops for people to visit. Near the top, there is a public observatory and a special lounge for members of a private club. The observatory offers the highest public viewing spot west of the Mississippi River. The tower takes up most of the block between Fourth and Fifth Avenues and Cherry and Columbia Streets.

Design

The Columbia Center was designed by architect Chester L. Lindsey from Washington. The building has a special look with three curved sides and two points where it gets narrower, making it seem like three towers close together. Its floors range in size from about 13,600 square feet on the top floors to almost 23,400 square feet on the lower ones.

Because the land slopes upward, the building sits higher on one side than the other. The nearby street is very steep, one of the steepest in the city center. The building was planned to be taller, but rules set by the Federal Aviation Administration prevented it because of the nearby airport. The developers found a way to make it taller than allowed by using a rule about extra height for stores that face the street. The Columbia Center has a special area called a sky lobby on the 40th floor and an observation deck on the 73rd floor where people can look out over Seattle. The top two floors are private spaces with a restaurant, bar, library, and meeting rooms. The building opened in 1985 and will close in April 2026. It has had several names over the years, starting as Columbia Seafirst Center, then the Bank of America Tower, and finally back to Columbia Center.

History

Development and construction

Martin Selig, a local real estate developer, announced plans for a very tall office building in Seattle in 1980. This building, called the Columbia Center, was finished in 1985. It became the tallest building in Washington state, standing at 933 feet tall. The building was made with a lot of steel and had a very deep hole dug for its foundation.

Financial issues and height controversy

Selig sold the building in 1989 because of money problems. Because of concerns about how tall buildings could get in Seattle, new rules were made in 1989 to limit building heights. Plans to add antennas to the top of the building were allowed but were never built.

Ownership changes

The building changed owners several times over the years. In 2015, a company from Hong Kong bought it for $711 million.

Renovations

In 2013, the observation deck at the top of the building was changed to give visitors a view in every direction. More changes were made in 2018 to make it even better.

September 11 attacks

In 2004, it was reported that the original plan for the September 11 attacks included crashing planes into the tallest buildings in California and Washington state. The Columbia Center was one of the buildings that might have been targeted.

Events

The Columbia Center hosts a big event called the LLS Firefighter Stairclimb, where about 2,000 firefighters from all over the world climb 69 floors and 1,311 steps in their full gear to help the Washington/Alaska chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

There is also an event called Big Climb, which is open to anyone aged 8 or older. About 6,000 people take part, raising more than $3 million to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.