Slog - The Stranger's Blog

Line Out

The Music Blog

« Feline Reflection Showdown: Br... | Raising the Dead(wood) From Si... »

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Revenge Is Hers

Posted by on July 20 at 14:23 PM

While reading Jen Grave’s High Art: A Review of Seattle’s Skyline (and What It’s Becoming), you must not forgot where she moved from. Though the article is packed with insights and displays a mind that can bend and lift ideas with the strength a muscle man, it is still an act of revenge. Ouuufffff. Seattle’s skyline feels her blow and moans. Graves is in the house.
rkajjm-1.jpg Even the Columbia Center gets hit by Graves. Though I understand why she and other people might not like this building, for reasons that are personal, I’m partial to structures that are big and black.


CommentsRSS icon

One more time, Charles: the problem with the Columbia Center isn't the big black part that thrusts up into the sky; it's with the base, where it meets the ground, and us who live there. What the Columbia Center does to the street is pure unadulterated evil. Who gives a shit about the tower?

AND the Columbia Tower is just not that nice of a building. I know of at least one firm that moved out because the building was so shoddily constructed - not unsafe by any means, but just not nice enough for the rent they charge.

They moved over to the soon-to-be "Old" WAMU tower.

But I was very happy to see her mention that the ATT Tower/City Building is so blatantly phallic. That caused quite a stir back when it was built. I remember an early Stranger that waxed lyrical about the ATT penis being next to the vaginal-esque entrance to the I-5 express lanes. Some feminists got themselves quite worked up over that one.

I'll join Charles's lonely defense of Columbia Tower. Yes, it's a rude presence at street level but from the perspective of a city skyline, I'd argue that Seattle needs Columbia Tower's verticality. Cover it up with your finger the next time you look at the skyline and you'll see what I mean.

As someone who has actually worked in it, I agree - it's not the building, it's the footprint and how it integrates into the cityscape at the ground level.

Personally, I always liked it as a building, above that ground level.

The author is a little mixed up. She states, "These days, there is majesty in modesty.", and cites the 1914 Smith Tower as an example. If she did some research, she'd know that the developer built the Smith Tower specifically so he could boast that it was the tallest office building outside NYC. Modesty? I think not!

I think that's "west of the Mississippi", as Chicago has had taller buildings than the Smith Tower since before the Smith Tower was built.

i love my view in the columbia tower. you should see how shiny the sound looks when its this sunny. you can actually see a rusty color in the sky towards georgetown and southpark. from here city looks very urban and it makes me feel like i live in a city. i cant say the same once i leave the building. i wish martin selig would ask the city to rezone and turn it into mix use housing. i want to live here! its a good looking building.

I'll second that, SEME. Look out of the Columbia Tower to the south and see all the squat industrial construction down into the valley; look north gaze over the other 'scrapers. West, you have the 4 to 5 blues that comprise the sound and its backdrop. And I like how the building itself thrusts -- with the perfect balance of a gypsy's black goat on a post -- upwards out of the slope between 4th and 5th Ave.

Is Columbia Tower the one with the escalator entrance?

but the columbia tower blocks the views of the big brown phallus building immediately to the east of it! it's not as if the columbia tower is the only building anchoring the skyline of south downtown. cover the columbia tower with your finger, as tom francis suggests, but then imagine the "verticality" across the street laying its rightful claim upon our city's still pretty modest skyline, a perfect complement to the space needle.

I worked beneath the Columbia Center, in the parking garage. I felt that I truly got the best view, not only of the building itself, but also of the tenants.

I love the Columbia Center despite the ground level flaws. Reading this week's articles had me wishing for a taller, more iconic building. Oh well, but I like viewing the skyline from afar as much as I like it up close. Atop the hills in the small town of Ruston (surrounded by Tacoma), I have seen downtown Seattle perching in the distance. Whenever I make those trips down south, on a clear day, I can see home waiting for me while I'm away. I much prefer Seattle's hodgepodge over Vancouver's uni-dome and Portland's here and there.

Does B of A still have the pervy freight elevator operator on the night shift who looks at porn and gropes himself while he's giving you a "ride"?

I've always thought the Columbia Tower is elegant and impressive, although I agree at ground level it is not good. But to say who cares about the tower...fnarf?? i guess you think all buildings should stop at the second floor? i personally love tall buildings and skyline views.

@fnarf, nope I believe it was the tallest outside of NYC when built (but soon after "W of Mississippi").

Smith Tower, built in 1914, is 142m tall.

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/bu/sk/li/?id=101046&bt=2&ht=2&sro=1

Chicago didn't surpass that until 1924, when the Chicago Temple Building climbed to 173m.

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/bu/sk/li/?id=101030&bt=9&ht=2&sro=41

Comments Closed

In order to combat spam, we are no longer accepting comments on this post (or any post more than 45 days old).