tdawg, yes it's Starbucks' HQ. And definitely gorgeous. The core building is our local version of the iconic Sears vernacular seen in numerous cities, to serve as both warehouse and store. There's still a small Sears.
I would agree with your assessment of the Central Library and how it meets the street. The plaza on the 4th Avenue side seems like a missed opportunity and the 5th Avenue entrance is a little confusing. I'm a pretty frequent use and I really like how the interior of the building works (except for the lack of a continuous escalator down all the way through).
I think a big urban design issue for Seattle is coping with the steep slopes on the streets that go east-west through the south end of Downtown. The Central Library takes the approach that a lot of other larger buildings do in terms of prioritizing the entrances along the north-south avenues and making the east-west street facades utilitarian at best.
Last edited by seaskyfan; Nov 13, 2011 at 8:04 PM.
Nice pictures. Seattle's Downtown looks more intimate than I expected. I don't see the big deal with the library. I don't like the modern design but that's my personal taste. Also, finding use for an entire city block of a steep slope is hard to do.
Sorry to hear your disappointment toward the library. The 4th avenue side plaza indeed feels like a wasted opportunity. I always loved the interior more (except the 4th avenue entrance).
btw for Seattlites out there: is this library sign a holdover from the previous library? I always thought it looked way too retro to be part of the Koolhaas design (unless of course it's meant as an ironic statement)
@mthq - I'm not sure but it might be from the last building - I couldn't find any specific info but it would look appropriate for the era when the last building opened in 1960. The fountain on the 4th Avenue side used to be on the 5th Ave side in the last building.
This is actually the third Seattle Central Library on this site. More info at link:
Probably preaching to the choir, but I would have loved for that one to remain intact. In dealing with expansion problems, I wouldn't mind seeing the building gutted leaving only its exterior shell while a modern glass structure goes in and rises above similar to what was done with the shell shocked German Bundestag in 1999.
Great thread! Too bad the weather wasn't as nice as it was for your Portland leg of the trip, but fun nonetheless. Personally I dig the library. I think it's pretty awesome. I don't know that a building always has to have an intimate relationship to the street on all sides. I think the 5th Ave. entrance is somewhat engaging, and that is the most heavily traveled side of the building from a pedestrian standpoint, so I think they hit it where they needed to.
That being said, the Carnegie structure was beautiful and I wish it could have stayed and been used for some new purpose while this new library went on another block. C'est la vie.
Linear Mode
