Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
- Architect
- William J. Bain
- Year
- 1950
- Style
- Mid-Century Modern
- City
- Seattle, WA
The Federal Reserve Bank Building on 2nd Avenue was designed by William J. Bain and completed in 1950 as the Seattle branch office of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, serving in that role for over 50 years, from 1951 to 2008. After the bank moved out, the building survived a 2008 demolition proposal that was halted by a U.S. District Court ruling, then passed to the General Services Administration in 2013 and was auctioned to Martin Selig Real Estate in 2015 for $16 million.
the building
Six stories, half underground. The half-block Modernist building on the west side of 2nd Avenue between Madison and Spring streets rises four stories above the street with two more below grade, built of structural steel and reinforced concrete.
A scaled-back rooftop tower. After Martin Selig Real Estate bought the building in 2015, the firm proposed adding a 48-story mixed-use skyscraper on top of the existing structure. The plan was scaled back to just seven added floors, and the addition was completed in 2020.
the style
The building is a Modernist design in structural steel and reinforced concrete, without applied historical ornament.
More on Mid-Century Modernsignificance
The Federal Reserve Bank Building is a Seattle City Landmark (#455), designated in January 2016, and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2013. Its 2008 brush with demolition, halted by a federal court, preceded the ownership change that followed.
nearby
- Schoenfeld Building
- Exchange Building
- Seattle Central Library
- Seattle Tower
- Rainier Club
- Cobb Building