Rainier Tower

Rainier Tower is a 41-story high-rise in Seattle's Metropolitan Tract, completed in 1977 by the renowned architect Minoru Yamasaki. The building stands out for its unusual design: the tower rests on an 11-story concrete base that tapers toward the ground, giving it the look of an inverted pyramid. Yamasaki chose this design deliberately to preserve green space in the city center and to make room for retail space, while the building's mechanical systems are housed in the base. The upper part of the tower shows hallmarks of the architect's style, with aluminum profiles and dark, recessed facade elements. Originally named after Rainier Bank, the building was for a time also called Security Pacific before the University of Washington renamed it Rainier Tower in 1995. An underground shopping concourse that connected the tower with One Union Square was demolished in 2017. Locals often refer to the building, humorously, as the "Beaver Building" or the "golf tee" because of its shape.