Two by Yamasaki in Seattle

On a recent visit to Seattle, I had just enough time to visit two Minoru Yamasaki projects downtown - Rainier Tower and 1200 Fifth Avenue, the former IBM Building and plaza.

Minoru Yamasaki (December 1, 1912 – February 6, 1986) was a prominent Japanese-American architect of the 20th century. He is best known for designing the original World Trade Center in New York City and several other large-scale projects. Yamasaki and fellow architect Edward Durrell Stone are generally considered to be the two master practitioners of “New Formalism”.

Rainier Tower, 1301 Fifth Avenue

Rainier Tower is a 41-story skyscraper in the Metropolitan Tract of Seattle, Washington. Its construction was completed in 1977.

29 floors of office space stand above an 11-story tapered concrete pedestal.

The first time I saw this iconic skyscraper in 2016 was as I headed uphill on University St. towards my hotel on Fifth Avenue. I thought to do the same this visit. And took many photos of course!

1200 Fifth Ave. (Formerly the IBM Building)

1200 Fifth, previously the IBM Building, is one of the most recognizable symbols in Seattle. Designed by Yamasaki in 1964, the 20-story building features graceful stone arches at the plaza level and a newly renovated, modern lobby.

The images below show the lovely detail along the horizontal beams.

I happened to visit on a weekday when the lobby was open. It was a pleasure to step down the elegant spiral stairway to the garage level below.

At the plaza level, I was quite taken by the whimsical light fixtures.

In 1964 James FitzGerald created a fountain for the IBM Building on 5th Avenue. Later leakage issues required that the water be removed, so it's now in a garden.