Downtown Tours

From Stone to Steel: Seattle Style from Then ‘til Now

Can a city be a fashionista? As with clothing, architecture has its hot trends and enduring styles. Beginning with Seattle’s rebirth after the great fire of 1889, the city’s new buildings have been up-to-the-minute examples of the latest designs of the times – from chunky, monumental Romanesque to stark, unadorned Brutalism, to environmentally conscious, sleek glass and steel towers showcasing computer-aided, high-tech design. On this tour, you will walk the design runway decade-by-decade to see what’s been new and exciting in downtown Seattle’s built environment from 1889 through today.

This tour meets outside the Mutual Life Building, 605 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98104 (1st and Yesler).

Photo: Roger Williams

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Stone to Steel
StonetoSteel_Interurban Building, Roger Williams

Downtown Tours

Our Downtown tours begin in various locations.

Please review your confirmation email to ensure that you have the right address.

Tours are approximately two hours in length, unless otherwise noted. Advance registration is strongly encouraged; walk-ups are limited to space available. Private tours are also available: email info@seattlearchitecture.org for more information. Tours are $25 in advance/$20 for members/$22 for students and seniors over 65/Free for children under 5. Ticket sales close at 9:00pm the evening before the tour. Walk up guests will be charged $30 via credit card payment at the start of the tour. Online registration is handled through Bold Type Tickets. For more information see our Tours FAQ page.

Please note: A minimum of three people must be registered for tours to take place. Tours with fewer than three registered attendees on the Thursday before the tour will be cancelled. If you purchased a ticket for a cancelled tour, you have the option of transferring the ticket to a future tour date or being issued a refund.