Norton Building Tour (May 22) – Seattle’s First Modern Skyscraper
Join Docomomo WEWA for a tour of the iconic Norton Building in downtown Seattle. Built in 1959, the building was designed by the Seattle firm of Bindon & Wright, in consultation with the San Francisco office of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM), and built by the Howard S. Wright Construction Company.
WHERE: 801 Second Avenue, Seattle (check in at the main lobby)
WHEN: Thursday, May 22, 2014
The event is from 5:30 and 7:00 pm. Please arrive no later than 6:15 to allow enough time to experience the spaces open to view.
WHAT: Opportunity to get an in-depth look at Seattle’s first modern skyscraper! Upon check-in, you’ll receive a tour brochure and receive information about the spaces/floors that are open to view. The tour is self-guided but Docomomo WEWA volunteers will be on hand to answer questions and discuss notable features of the building. The offices of LMN Architects and Coughlin Porter Lundeen (CPL) Engineering will be open to view. You’ll learn about the history of the building, its significance and changes/improvements over time.
COST: FREE (but donations are always welcome)
The 16-story Norton Building is Seattle’s first modern skyscraper and one of the city’s earliest aluminum and glass curtain-wall office buildings. The building was the first major downtown office structure built in the Modern era following the Depression and World War II. A designated Landmark, it is widely recognized as the finest local example of the International Style, due to the successful application of modern materials and construction technologies that allowed for efficiency, flexibility and elegance through the use of an innovative composite structural system and prefabricated and curtain-wall assembly.
This event is supported in part by a 4Culture Preservation Sustained Support grant.