Monday, July 21

Specifically built to withstand an 8.0 earthquake, the forty-seven-floor Winningham Blue Building faced Third Avenue directly across the street from the Mainland Tower. Spread over an entire city block, it had two sub-floors, five parking garage levels, giant criss-crossed pillars, and a glass observation deck on the top floor. Inside, three sets of six elevators were centrally located with a stairwell on the end of each set. Both the interior and exterior of the building were decorated in shades of blue with gold trim. Built into downtown Seattle's hillside, it served as a miniature shopping mall complete with restaurants, coffee shops, a bookstore, a cobbler shop and a flower shop. The sub-floors opened on to terraces facing Second Avenue and the Federal Building. Two blocks down the hill lay the Alaskan Freeway, the waterfront and the Bay. And everyday at noon, a pianist played a grand piano in the first floor lobby, offering classical music to customers of a prominent bank branch.

The consecutive floors of the plush building held ample bathrooms, thick carpets, potted plants, and decorative art. Custom designed executive offices on the outskirts of each floor exhibited full length, blue glass windows. Across wide hallways lay a second row of internal offices, more hallways and a third row of still smaller offices. In addition to a reception area and a break room with a sofa and comfortable chairs, each contained a centrally located kitchenette complete with sink, refrigerator, coffee maker and microwave.