Seattle Skylines

With a history that dates thousands of years, the city of Seattle is a truly one of a kind place. Located in the Northwest of the United States, Seattle, Washington is nestled along Puget Sound. With the shadow of the Cascade Mountain Range to the east and the shining Pacific Ocean to the west, the City of Seattle is home to some 600 hundred thousand residents. The metropolitan area around Seattle includes over 3 million residents. The Seattle skyline reflects the growth of this modern city. Home to aerospace concerns, grunge rock and free flowing caffeine beverages, Seattle has an eclectic history that adds to the diversity of the Pacific Northwest.

The West Coast of the United States is located along the infamous Pacific Ring of Fire. The boundary of the North American and Pacific tectonic plates experiences a great deal of earthquake activity. Peaks on the Cascade Mountain Range such as Mount Rainier are considered active volcanoes, acting as a source for earthquake activity. Close to this volatile boundary, Seattle experiences a great many small earthquakes and the occasional moderate tremor. In 1965, Seattle was jolted by a 6.5 magnitude quake though most quakes in the area do not register as high.

The potential for earthquake activity has had an effect on the design of high rise structures in Seattle. Like most modern high rise buildings on the West Coast of the United States, skyscrapers in Seattle most be designed and constructed with earthquakes in mind.

Seattle Space Needle

A remnant of the 1962 Worlds Fair, the Seattle Space Needle opened in 1962. Located in Volunteer Park, the Space Needle is far shorter than other high rise structures in the city but its unusual shape gives it a prominent place on the Seattle skyline. Resembling a space craft, the Space Needle towers above over 600 feet when the spire is included.

Tens of millions of visitors have made the trip up the Needle's observation deck which provides a spectacular panoramic view of Seattle and on a clear day, the Cascade Mountains. At the top of the Space Needle is a revolving restaurant that makes on revolution approximately every 40 minutes. Unlike other freestanding structures, the Space Needle does not experience the same amount sway from high winds, less than 3 inches. With the potential of earthquakes in mind, the Space Needle was built to resist major quakes, possibly up to 9.0 on the Richter scale. The base of the Space Needle was built using thousands of tons of reinforcing steel and concrete projecting some thirty feet below ground.

Columbia Center

Columbia Center is the tallest structure along the Seattle skyline and is among the twenty tallest buildings in the United States, ranking nineteenth. The dark granite exterior and sweeping lines makes the Columbia Center one of the recognizable features along the Seattle skyline.

As with many modern cities, Seattle saw a boon in high rise construction during the 1980s. And like other major cities, Seattle found that the growth of the city was encroaching on the air space of the Seattle-Tacoma Airport. The proximity of the airport caused concerns that as the height of high rise increased, the buildings would pose a safety hazard to aircraft. The result was the placement of limitations on the height of skyscrapers in Seattle.

Towering almost 940 feet above Fifth Avenue, the Columbia Center features 76 floors and 46 elevators. This enormous structure provides over 1.5 million square feet of office and commercial space. The observation deck on the buildings 77th floor provided visitors with beautiful views of the city, Puget Sound and the Cascade Mountains.

Washington Mutual Tower

The second tallest building in all of Seattle, the Washington Mutual Tower stands over 770 feet above Third Avenue. The 55 story marvel provides over 1.2 million square feet of office and commercial space. The striking conical top and classic lines helped to make the Washington Mutual Tower a welcome addition to the Seattle Skyline.

Smith Tower

One of the oldest high rise buildings in Seattle, Smith Tower reigned as the tallest building in the city from 1914 until 1962. In fact, Smith Tower was the tallest building on the West Coast of the United States until the construction of the Seattle Space Needle in 1962. Featuring a distinctive pyramid crown and neoclassical architecture, the Smith Tower features 42 floors and rises over 460 feet above Pioneer Square.

Seattle Sports Teams

Seattle is a big sports town even though the professional sports franchises are relatively young. The Seattle Mariners of Major League have developed a loyal fan base since being founded in 1977 as have the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. Sports panoramas and pictures of these popular teams are a favorite among sports fans and collectors.