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Concrete, Steel, Glass and Egos
A Review by Elana Chan
The idea of promenading in Seattle downtown with a group of strangers on a Saturday morning might not readily appeal to most people.
(And I am not referring to a demonstration.) The activity here is the Seattle Architecture Foundation's walking tour:
Historic Skyscrapers: Concrete, Steel, Glass and Egos.
The tour begins, at the famous L.C. Smith Tower. When completed in 1914, it 522 foot height made it the fourth tallest building in the USA.
It remained Seattle's tallest structure until 1962 when the Space Needle surpassed it.
The guides skillfully weave historic, cultural and economic factors together to highlight the connections which led to the skyscraper boom from the late 1800s to 1970s.
To put things in the west coast perspective, buildings that are built about 100 years ago are often considered "historic".
The Great Fire of 1889 (which destroyed 29 blocks in central Seattle's) led to rapid rebuilding in the Pioneer Square — and vernacular wooden structures were replaced with stone and brick.
But as building methods, fireproofing standards and styles evolved, Seattle architects explored new ways to solve design problems, taking into account both functionality and form. How to build a tall structure that would stand earthquakes? How do you build on a hill that spans floors? How to let in precious northwest sunlight in a building as wide as a city block? And how are older structures preserved through retrofitting to today's building codes for safety without compromising their architectural integrity?
The Historic Skyscrapers tour is a short introduction revealing some of Seattle's solutions, but it will probably prompt you to ask more questions.
It helps spark curiosity about your surroundings — whether you call Seattle home or you're visiting for a few days — by encouraging a closer look at structures in your own community.
The tour includes more than a dozen stand-out buildings, covers about a mile and lasts two hours — so be sure to bring good walking shoes!
And when it comes to strolling with strangers? You might just make some new friends.
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