I was in Seattle in January pounding the damp pavement, slinging my camera and notebook in search of things to jangle my nerves (the ones connected to my eyeballs) when I found this gem of a building just east of downtown a ways. I love it that this building can express itself in a very modern way while at the same time behaving very well as a responsible urban citizen. Note the ground floor retail complete with awnings and covered entries making the pedestrian experience worthwhile. Then above there is a bit of form making and articulation including the strong corner. Frank Lloyd Wright got himself in quite a twist over the cornice of the older buildings of his day, saying they should not have this ornament at the top. I can get somewhat behind that idea but this building makes for such a fine detail at the top with those roof overhangs. Note the way the balconies below are in alternate bays to the “cornice” elements (overhangs). There is a second floor office use and then the three stories of residential on top. Sorry to not know who the architect is. Seattle just seems to do a lot of good buildings like this.
