1200 Fifth

1200 Fifth
Location within downtown Seattle
Former names	IBM Building
General information
Type	Commercial offices
Location	1200 Fifth Avenue Seattle, Washington, 98101
Coordinates	47°36′30″N122°19′59″W / 47.608398°N 122.332935°W / 47.608398; -122.332935
Construction started	May 1963
Completed	October 1964
Owner	Unico Properties
Height
Roof	84.13 m (276.0 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	20
Floor area	225,000 sq ft (20,900 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Minoru Yamasaki NBBJ
Structural engineer	Magnusson Klemencic Associates
Main contractor	Howard S. Wright Companies
References
[1] [2] [3]

1200 Fifth, formerly the IBM Building, is a 20-story office building in the Metropolitan Tract, part of downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. ^[4] The building was designed by Minoru Yamasaki, who also was architect of Rainier Tower on the corner diagonally opposite, and the World Trade Center in New York City. ^[5] Construction on the building began in May 1963 and it was completed in October 1964. ^{[6] [7]}

Nard Jones wrote in 1972 that "There is an architectural poetry about [the building] that is at variance with the endless jibes at computerization and the alleged sober pragmatism of IBM personnel." ^[8] The building's crown has a series of 191 "fins" that measure 23 feet (7.0 m) tall and surround the machinery floors. ^[9]

The corner of the complex at 5th Avenue and University Street was the site of the Seattle Ice Arena from 1915 to 1963.

References

1. "Emporis building ID 119482". Emporis . Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
2. "1200 Fifth". SkyscraperPage .
3. 1200 Fifth at Structurae
4. "IBM Building". The Skyscraper Center . Retrieved June 12, 2017.
5. Woodridge, Sally B.; Roger Montgomery (1980). A Guide to Architecture in Washington State. University of Washington Press. p. 128. ISBN   978-0-2959-5779-1.
6. "Construction To Begin On IBM Building". The Seattle Times. May 11, 1963. p. 11.
7. Staples, Alice (November 8, 1964). "Construction Industry Honors Structure From Ivy-Covered To IBM". The Seattle Times . p. 22.
8. Jones, Nard (1972). Seattle. Doubleday. p. 9. ISBN   978-0-3850-1875-3 . Retrieved January 23, 2021.
9. "Crown Fin for IBM Building". The Seattle Times. June 11, 1964. p. 21.

External links

• Media related to IBM Tower, Seattle at Wikimedia Commons
• Building profile at Unico Properties