Smith Tower - Seattle, WA
Posted by: 
OpinioNate
N 47° 36.106 W 122° 19.932
10T E 550196 N 5272255
The Smith Tower opened on July 4, 1914. At the time, it was the fourth tallest building in the world and weighed 48,650 tons. It remained the tallest building west of the Mississippi River for almost 50 years.
Waymark Code: WM16DX
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 01/30/2007
Views: 78
From the website: (
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Original period of construction: 1910 to July 4, 1914.
Height: 42 floors. (522 feet from curbside to the top of the tower finial.)
Original square footage: 250,000 square feet of floor space occupying 12,160 square feet of ground space. Originally configured as 540 offices, 6 retail stores, two telegraph offices, a public telephone station, one Chinese Room, and an Observation Deck.
Construction materials:
•1,500,000 feet of lumber (Washington fir), provided by Seattle Saw Mill Co.
•Steel frame: The E.E. Davis Company of Seattle erected the steel frame of the building using 7,970,000 pounds of steel and three construction derricks. The building contains 50 main support columns, the largest of which is 29’6” long and weighs 13 tons.
•The structural steel was fabricated by the American Bridge Company at a plant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and shipped to Seattle in 164 railroad cars, each with an average load of 28 tons.
•Page-McKenney Co. of Seattle provided the 150,000 pounds of electrical wiring and conduit. If placed end to end the wiring is 75 miles in length. 1 train car was required to ship the wire; 3 cars for the conduit.
•Outer skin of the building: Washington granite on the first and second floors, white terra cotta on the remaining floors. The terra cotta skin has been professionally cleaned only once - in the 1970’s - with a detergent cleanser. Seattle rain takes care of the rest.
•Interior walls: Constructed of 12” X 12” X 4” brick, covered with two inches of plaster on both sides. All hallways, bathrooms, and public corridors are finished with a wainscot of Alaskan marble.
•Elevators were provided by the Otis Elevator Company of New York. Six of the 7 elevators remaining in the building are still powered by their original DC motors.
•The building’s 2,314 windows are encased in bronze frames. Most contain their original 1914 safety glass. Unlike modern skyscrapers, Smith Tower windows can be opened and closed.
Cost of original construction: $1,500,000.00. ($1.5 million)