Seattle Tower vs Exchange Building

Seattle Tower
Exchange Building

Comparing the Seattle Tower and the Exchange Building is interesting because they both stand in Seattle, WA, and were completed within 2 years of each other, but they were designed by different architects.

This offers a unique glimpse at how rival designers approached projects in the same city during the same era.

Height
97m
Floors
27

Height & Size

Height
85m
Floors
23

The Seattle Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 318ft (97m) with 27 floors above ground, while the Exchange Building reaches 279ft (85m) with 23 floors above ground.

Of course, each project may have faced different briefs or regulatory constraints, which we don't really know about and could also explain the outcome.

Style
Art Deco

Architectural Style

Style
Art Deco

Both the Seattle Tower and the Exchange Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Art Deco style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So both Albertson, Wilson & Richardson and John Graham & Associates followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

Main use
Commercial

Uses

Main use
Commercial

Both the Seattle Tower and the Exchange Building were designed to serve as commercial towers, and that has remained their main use since their completion, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

The Seattle Tower also provides 50 parking spaces.

Structure
Frame
Facade
Masonry

Structure & Facade

Structure
Frame
Facade

These two towers illustrate the many possible ways to combine structure and enclosure in skyscraper design.

Seattle Tower Exchange Building
Albertson, Wilson & Richardson Architect John Graham & Associates
1927 Construction Started 1929
1928 Year Completed 1930
Art Deco Architectural Style Art Deco
Commercial Current Use Commercial
27 Floors Above Ground 23
97 m Height (m) 85 m
15,783 m² Usable Area (m²) 29,299 m²
5 Number of Elevators 9
Frame Structure Type Frame
Steel Vertical Structure Material Reinforced Concrete
Concrete Horizontal Structure Material Reinforced Concrete
Brick Main Facade Material Cast Concrete
Sound Construction & Engineering Company Main Contractor Turner Construction
Hall & Stevenson Structural Engineer Graham, John And Company
WA State WA
Seattle City Seattle
1218 Third Avenue Address 821 Second Avenue