1201 Third Avenue

1201 Third Avenue, formerly Washington Mutual Tower is a 235.31 m (772.0 ft), 55-story skyscraper in downtown Seattle, Washington. It is the second tallest building in the city, and the eighth tallest on the West Coast of the United States. Developed by Wright Runstad & Company, construction began in 1986 and finished in 1988. 1201 Third Avenue was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and The McKinley Architects. The building was the world headquarters of the financial company Washington Mutual from the building's opening until the company moved into the WaMu Center across the street in 2006.

History

Kohn Pedersen Fox was hired to design the tower while visiting Seattle to be interviewed as a possible candidate for the job of designing the Seattle Art Museum. It was the first major office building built under Seattle’s 1985 downtown zoning plan, largely implemented in response to the Columbia Center, which called for height limits, interesting profiles, and height and density bonuses for public amenities to create a 24-hour downtown. The tower took advantage of all the height bonuses for public amenities that the 1985 plan called for including an entrance to the Metro Transit Tunnel, retail space, day care, public plaza, sculptured top, hillside public escalators, and lobby/atrium public access, as well as donating $2.5 million for off-site housing. By providing the amenities the designers were able to add 28 stories to the tower and almost double the base floor area ratio of the site. The building was built on the site of the 12-story Savoy Hotel which was imploded in 1986; however, the architects incorporated the historic Brooklyn Building into the design of the tower.

919 Third Avenue

919 Third Avenue is an office building in New York City, built in 1971, and is located at the intersection of Third Avenue and East 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan. The building is 615 feet (188 meters) tall with 47 floors. The building was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.

During the mid-1960s, in what the New York Times called "one of the most unusual Manhattan real estate transactions in recent years", developers of the new skyscraper decided to build around a 3rd Avenue landmark—P. J. Clarke's bar and restaurant. The property owner, at the time, refused to sell to the developers.

In December 1970, the fifth floor suffered a fire partially destroying part of the floor, injuring 20, and killing three. The building was completed in 1970, and tenant work was still in progress at the time of the fire.

Use of the elevators resulted in the three fire deaths when the car inadvertently stopped at the fire floor. Others were almost killed in the same way but were rescued by fire fighters.

1111 Third Avenue

1111 Third Avenue is a 454 ft (138 m) tall skyscraper in Seattle, Washington. It was completed in 1980 and has 34 floors. As of 2012 it is the 20th tallest building in Seattle, is owned by Callahan Capital Properties, and is operated by JLL. It has an award-winning outdoor landscaped area with seating and tables accented by bronze statues by sculptor Robert Graham, and floor to ceiling windows. The exterior of the building is composed of precast concrete with exposed aggregate surfaces and dual-glazed, solar bronze glass.

See also

References

Coordinates: 47°36′24″N 122°20′6″W / 47.60667°N 122.33500°W / 47.60667; -122.33500

External links

53rd Street (IRT Third Avenue Line)

53rd Street was a local station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line. It had two levels. The lower level was served by local trains and had two tracks and two side platforms. It was built first. The upper level was built as part of the Dual Contracts and had one track for express trains. This station closed on May 12, 1955, with the ending of all service on the Third Avenue El south of 149th Street.

References

53rd Street (Manhattan)

Coordinates: 40°45′46″N 73°58′54″W / 40.76278°N 73.98167°W / 40.76278; -73.98167 (53rd Street (Manhattan))

53rd Street is a midtown cross street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, that runs adjacent to buildings such as the Citigroup building. It is 1.83 miles (2.94 km) long. The street runs westbound from Sutton Place across most of the island's width, ending at DeWitt Clinton Park at Eleventh Avenue.

The Lexington Avenue – 53rd Street/ 51st Street station complex, one of the busiest in the New York City Subway system, is accessible from this street, and is served by 4 6 <6> E M trains. The Seventh Avenue station, serviced by the (B D E trains), is a similarly busy transfer station. The 53rd Street Tunnel carries the IND Queens Boulevard Line (E M trains) of the New York City Subway under the East River between Manhattan and Queens.

Notable locations, east to west

53rd Street (BMT Fourth Avenue Line)

53rd Street is a local station on the BMT Fourth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at 53rd Street and Fourth Avenue in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, it is served by the R train at all times except late nights northbound and the N train during late nights only.

Station layout

This underground station, opened on June 22, 1915, has four tracks and two side platforms. The two center tracks are used by N trains during daytime hours, and the northbound express track is also used by northbound R trains during late nights.

This station was overhauled in the late 1970s. The Transit Authority repaired the station's structure and appearance, particularly the staircases and platform edges. The overhaul also replaced the original wall tiles, signs, and incandescent lighting with cinderblock tiles (colored gray with yellow indentation), black and white signs, and fluorescent lights.

On the platforms, street signs and arrows leading to the station's exits are painted black on the wall tiles. Columns run along the entire length of both platforms and are painted yellow. Every other column has a "53 Street" sign on it in black with white text. All are rounded except for the ones near the two staircases to the station's main entrance, which was where the platforms were extended.

51st–53rd Street (Hyde Park) station

51st–53rd Street (Hyde Park) is a commuter rail station within the City of Chicago serves the Metra Electric Line north to Millennium Station and south to University Park, Blue Island, and South Chicago. The station location, one of the oldest in the United States, has been in continuous use by commuters since 1856.

During peak commute hours, many express trains stop at this station. At off-peak hours, it is served mainly by local trains. Station entrances are located at E. Hyde Park Boulevard (5100 S.)/Lake Park Avenue and at 53rd Street/Lake Park Avenue. The station is located near Kenwood Academy High School and the 53rd Street commercial district.

The East Hyde Park Blvd (aka 51st Street) viaduct was once the site of a graffiti mural, painted by non-profit youth organization Higher Gliffs with Metra's permission. In September, 2006, the murals were whitewashed, possibly by mistake.

The station was served by Illinois Central Railroad intercity-trains from Chicago to points south at an island platform on the two track non-electrified east of the electrified tracks.Amtrak's City of New Orleans, Illini, and Saluki still pass by the station without stopping. Prior to October 16, 1966, the South Shore Line also stopped at this station. On that date trains ceased calling at 53rd and instead began stopping at 57th Street, the next station south.