List of Famous Seattle Buildings & Structures

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Updated August 13, 2019 27.2K views77 items

List of the famous landmarks that make up the Seattle skyline, listed alphabetically with photos when available. Seattle architectural landmarks as well as other major buildings, dwellings, and other structures in Seattle are included on this list. Information about these Seattle buildings is included on this list, such as when the building first opened and what architectural style it falls under. List includes both new buildings in Seattle and older historic landmarks.

List buildings range from Columbia Center to Seattle Central Library.

This list answers the question, "What are the most famous buildings in Seattle?"

This is a good reference for research into the historical architecture in Seattle. Famous architectural houses within the city of Seattle are included as well, sometimes by address, other times listed by the name of the original home owner. Seattle isn't the only beautiful city in the state, though, and when you're done here, head over and check out some of the best places to live in Washington.

  • 1000 Second Avenue

    1000 Second Avenue is a 150 m skyscraper in Seattle, Washington. It was completed in 1987 and has 43 floors. Originally known as Key Tower, it is the fifteenth tallest building in Seattle as of 2012.
    • City/Town: Seattle, King County, Washington, United States of America, Northwestern United States
    • Opened: Jan 01 1987
    • Structural Height (m): 150.27
    • Floors: 43

  • 1111 Third Avenue

    1111 Third Avenue is a 454 ft tall skyscraper in Seattle, Washington. It was completed in 1980 and has 34 floors. As of 2012 it is the 20th tallest building in Seattle, and is operated by Talon Portfolio Services, LLC. It has an award-winning outdoor landscaped area with seating and tables accented by bronze statues by sculptor Robert Graham, and floor to ceiling windows. The exterior of the building is composed of precast concrete with exposed aggregate surfaces and dual-glazed, solar bronze glass.
    • City/Town: Seattle, Washington, USA
    • Opened: Jan 01 1980
    • Structural Height (m): 138.38
    • Floors: 34

  • 1201 Third Avenue

    1201 Third Avenue, formerly Washington Mutual Tower is a 235.31 m, 55-story skyscraper in downtown Seattle, Washington. It is the second tallest building in the city, and the eighth tallest on the West Coast of the United States. Developed by Wright Runstad & Company, construction began in 1986 and finished in 1988. 1201 Third Avenue was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and The McKinley Architects. The building was the world headquarters of the financial company Washington Mutual from the building's opening until the company moved into the WaMu Center across the street in 2006.
    • City/Town: Seattle, Washington, USA
    • Opened: Jan 01 1988
    • Structural Height (m): 235.0
    • Floors: 55

  • 1411 Fourth Avenue Building

    The 1411 Fourth Avenue Building is a historic building in Seattle, Washington, that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 28, 1991. The 15-story plus basement Art Deco structure is located at the Northwest corner of Fourth Avenue and Union Street. The main entrance is located at 1411 Fourth Avenue. The building was built in 1928 for the Stimson Realty Company under the direction of the Metropolitan Building Company for $1,100,000 by Teufel & Carlson, contractors. Robert C. Reamer was the architect. The building was fully constructed within seven months in 1928, setting a record for a building of its size. From 1997 to 2012 the ground floor housed Tully's Coffee flagship store on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Union Street. The store was among those closed following Tully's bankruptcy protection filing.
    • City/Town: Seattle, Washington, USA
    • Opened: Jan 01 1928
    • Architect: Robert Reamer
    • Created By: Robert Reamer
    • Style: Art Deco, Streamline Moderne

  • Active Voice Building

    The Active Voice Building in Seattle, Washington is a reinforced concrete and steel-frame office building with solar bronze exterior window panels. It is located on the southwest corner of 6th Avenue and Lenora Street and abuts the Westin Building to the south, providing direct connections to the Westin's meet-me rooms and colocation facilities. Constructed in 1962, originally for the Internal Revenue Service, the building was named United Airlines Building until 2001. It was renamed "Active Voice Building" in 2005 after Active Voice, LLC, a subsidiary of NEC Unified Solutions, Inc., became the anchor tenant, occupying 42,600 square feet of the building on three floors. The ground floor of the Active Voice is home to a jazz club and a day spa. In 1975 and again in 2001, the building underwent renovations.
    • City/Town: Seattle, King County, Washington, United States of America, Northwestern United States
    • Opened: Jan 01 1962
    • Structural Height (m): 47.55
    • Floors: 11

  • Arctic Building

    The Arctic Building is a nine-story building in Seattle, Washington located at the Northeast corner of Third Avenue and Cherry Street. The building was built for the Arctic Club in 1916 and was occupied by them from construction until the club's dissolution in 1971. It is entirely faced with cream white terra cotta with submarine blue and orange-brown accents. It is particularly noted for the terra cotta walrus-heads lining the third floor of the building. Recently restored, the building has been adapted for use as a luxury hotel, Arctic Club Seattle. It was listed in 1978 on the National Register of Historic Places.
    • City/Town: Seattle, Washington, USA
    • Opened: Jan 01 1916
    • Style: Beaux-Arts architecture