The Smith Tower

These days, the oddly-proportioned Neo-classical Smith Tower is a gleaming ivory-tiled dwarf in the Seattle skyline. But when it was first completed in 1914, the 522-foot Smith Tower held the title of tallest building on the west coast, a title it held until 1962, when it was surpassed by another Seattle landmark—the Space Needle.

The Smith Tower was originally conceived as an advertising ploy by New York industrialist, Lyman Cornelius Smith, the Smith of Smith & Wesson firearms and Smith-Corona typewriters, who bought the land in Pioneer Square sight unseen.

It was Lyman’s son, Burns, who encouraged his father to build a skyscraper in developing Seattle. It was an interesting choice for the east coast men, who spent little—if any—time in Seattle beforehand. It was made more interesting by the fact that the plans included mainly steel, granite, bronze and terra cotta tiling, with little of the lumber for which Seattle was famous.

While the height of the Smith Tower no longer humbles visitors, the views from the 35th floor’s Chinese room and 360 degree observation deck still do. Many locals swear that the sweeping vista of the Olympics, cascades and waterfront beat the now-more-famous views from the Space Needle—and is more fun.

While the elevators at the Space needle travel speed visitors up at 10 miles per hour, the Smith Tower still uses the original brass and copper cage elevators which are manually operated by uniformed staff. Admission includes entrance into the Chinese Room, an ornately decorated space whose hand-carved ceiling, furnishings and 17th century art were gifts to Smith from the then-empress of China.

Of all the gorgeous carved blackwood furnishings, the so-called Wishing Chair remains the most famous. Legend says that any single woman who sits in the chair will be married within a year. Locals swear by the legend, citing numerous examples of when it came true, beginning with Lyman Smith's own daughter.

- by Caren Gussoff Sumption, Seattle Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Caren Gussoff Sumption

Caren Gussoff Sumption is a freelance writer and editor from Seattle, WA. She's written for USA Today, the Seattle Times/NW Source, MSN and AOL, and her fiction has been published worldwide. She received her MFA in writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.