Seattle Municipal Tower


Seattle Municipal Tower is a skyscraper in downtown Seattle, Washington. At, it is the fourth-tallest building in the city. Completed in 1990, it was initially named AT&T Gateway Tower and subsequently KeyBank Tower after its anchor tenants AT&T and KeyBank. It was given its current name on May 17, 2004.

History

The City of Seattle purchased Key Tower in early 1996 to house utilities and general government functions. The purchase price was $124 million, or $124 per square foot. The city purchased the property during a downturn in the economy, citing recommendations from two panels: the citizens' group, Capital Finance Review Board, which concluded that purchasing the building would cost a minimum of $47 million less than constructing new facilities and a minimum of $121 million less than renovating existing city facilities; and the Citizens Advisory Panel, which concluded that the building " the great majority of the city's space needs."
The building is attached to the Seattle Civic Center complex and is owned by the city. It houses several government offices including the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, Seattle City Light, Seattle Public Utilities, the Department of IT, Human Services Department, and the Office of Economic Development.
The Seattle City Council and offices of the Mayor of Seattle are located in the nearby Seattle City Hall.

Design

The Municipal Tower was designed by Bassetti/Norton/Metler/Rekevics Architects, who also designed the Jackson Federal Building, and were the architect of record for the new Seattle City Hall.