To spot Rainier Tower, look for the skyscraper that stands on a weirdly-narrow concrete base-imagine a regular office building somehow balancing on top of a giant upside-down pyramid right in front of you.
Welcome to Rainier Tower! No, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you-this tower really does look like it’s teetering on a massive concrete stem, sometimes called the “Beaver Building” because its base looks like a tree nibbled by an ambitious beaver! Now, picture it’s 1977: bell-bottoms are in style, disco is blasting, and architect Minoru Yamasaki-who also designed New York’s famous World Trade Center-unveils his wildest idea yet. He lifts a 41-story skyscraper up onto an 11-story pedestal, all to keep more of Seattle’s precious green space at street level and make room for shopping and strolling on the plaza below.
You might wonder, did anyone think this would topple over in a strong breeze? Don’t worry, engineers double-and maybe even triple-checked! Underneath this quirky landmark once stood Rainier Square, a bustling underground shopping mall where people escaped the rainy Seattle days and a crosstown connection to One Union Square.
As you stand here now, imagine bankers and shoppers bustling beneath your feet. This whole place was original called Rainier Tower for Rainier Bank-a name that changed as banks merged and moved, then circled back again thanks to the University of Washington, which has its own ties to this very land. And right next door, you’ll see a towering new neighbor, Rainier Square Tower, built in 2020-a fresh addition to Seattle’s ever-growing skyline that makes even Rainier Tower look like it’s got competition in the height department.
So, as you take in this gravity-defying building, just be glad you’re not the architect who had to convince everyone it wouldn’t tip over-now that’s what I call a balancing act!
