Sights in Seattle: Smith Tower

Sitting at my desk in the middle of the fall, I started thinking about summer and decided to write about Smith Tower in Seattle. 

It was in August that my friend and I decided to visit Smith Tower, located in Pioneer Square in downtown Seattle.

Smith Tower was built in 1914 and was, at the time, the tallest office building (149 m/489 ft) west of the Mississippi River in the US.

The outside walls on the first and second floor consist of granite and the rest consist of terracotta, making this building a fine example of neoclassical architecture.

We entered the building and waited for the elevator to take us up to the 35^th floor which has an observation deck from which you can see the city of Seattle.

As you can see on the picture, we headed for the Chinese room. This room was a gift from the Empress of China and has elaborate decorations on the walls and ceiling. The room is even furnished with the famous Wishing Chair where single women can sit and a year later they are supposed to be married:)

The picture below shows the ceiling in the Chinese room.

The view from Smith Tower is fantastic, especially since the sun came out just in time as we were stepping out on the observation deck.

The high building in the middle and at the far back is the previous head quarter of Amazon.

Downtown Seattle looking north. If you look carefully you can see Space Needle right in the middle at the far back. I actually enjoyed visiting Smith Tower more than visiting Space Needle. Smith Tower is less touristy and feels more genuine.

And this is Columbia Tower, the tallest building (286 m/937 ft) in Seattle.

Seattle has a large harbor. Actually, it is the 8th largest in the US if you count container traffic.

Century Link Field is the arena for Seattle Seahawks (football) and Seattle Sounders (soccer).

Before we headed for the elevator, we read about the top three floors that have been made into a three-story penthouse housing a family of four. What a view they must have.