Seattle Tower vs Pacific Tower

Seattle Tower
Pacific Tower

Comparing the Seattle Tower and the Pacific Tower is interesting because they both stand in Seattle, WA, and were completed within 5 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
67m
Floors
16

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 Pacific Tower reaches 220ft (67m) with 16 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 Pacific Tower 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 Bebb & Gould 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
Education

The Seattle Tower is primarily commercial, while the Pacific Tower is primarily education.

Originally, the Pacific Tower was designed for medical, but over time it was converted to education. The Seattle Tower by contrast has maintained its original role.

The Seattle Tower also provides 50 parking spaces.

Structure
Frame
Facade
Masonry

Structure & Facade

Structure
Facade

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

Seattle Tower Pacific Tower
Albertson, Wilson & Richardson Architect Bebb & Gould
1928 Year Completed 1933
Art Deco Architectural Style Art Deco
Commercial Current Use Education
27 Floors Above Ground 16
97 m Height (m) 67 m
15,783 m² Usable Area (m²) 24,127 m²
Brick Main Facade Material Brick
WA State WA
Seattle City Seattle
1218 Third Avenue Address 1200 12th Avenue South