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AKA: People's National Bank Building #2, Downtown, Seattle, WA; Peoples National Bank of Washington, Headquarters Building, Downtown, Seattle, WA
Structure Type: built works - commercial buildings - banks (buildings); built works - commercial buildings - office buildings
Designers: Andersen, Bjornstad and Kane, Incorporated, Consulting Engineers (firm); Dames & Moore, Engineers (firm); The Richardson Associates (TRA) Architecture, Engineering, Planning, Interiors (firm); Travis, Beverly A., and Associates, Electrical Engineer (firm); Dames (engineer); James Edwin Hussey (architect); Phillip Lee Jacobson (architect); Moore (engineer); Allen Donald Moses (architect); Stephen Hinley Richardson (architect)
Dates: constructed 1972-1974
20 stories
Building History
In 08/1971, the bank announced changes in a design for a new high-rise. A retail plaza was originally designed to front on 5th Avenue, but this was scrapped, in the words of the Seattle Times, "in favor of an entrance and lobby to give more identity to the office tower." Other changes included the addition of a restaurant space set below grade, which would have landscaping and a water feature as a buffer to the busy street. The loss of retail space coincided with the "Boeing Bust" of 1971, when the aerospace giant laid off 60% of its work force. This trauma may have had something to do with a switch in the design team responsible for the tower.
Originally, C.B.K. Van Norman and Associates, Architects of Vancouver, BC, Canada, created the initial design for the People National Bank Building #2, but it was replaced in 08/1971 as lead architect by The Richardson Associates (TRA), Architects. Van Norman was demoted to the role of "Consulting Architect." The Seattle Times noted of the bank building as conceived just after the switch of architects: "The 20-story building will provide 16 stories of rental space with slightly more than 10,000 square feet on each floor. The bank will occupy four floors and the three-story banking center." Because of the economic climate, the "...elimination of one story to bring the project within the budget is a possibility, [project architect John] Rogers said." (See Alf Collins, "Bank unveils new design for office tower," Seattle Times, 08/08/1971, p. 39 [D1].)
Other members of the design and construction team included: Osterman Associates, interior architect; Andersen-Bjornstad-Kane, structural engineers; Beverly A. Travis and Associates, electrical engineer; Dames and Moore, soils engineer; Frankfurter and Associates, site utilities engineer; The Dillingham Corporation, development consultant; Case Rutledge, construction consultant.
Building Notes
As noted in a Seattle Times article of 08/08/1971, "Demolition is expected to begin this year for a mid-summer completion in 1973." (See Alf Collins, "Bank unveils new design for office tower," Seattle Times, 08/08/1971, p. 39 [D1].)
PCAD id: 5152
