Modern Queen Anne
The Northwest Rooms at Seattle Center were originally completed in 1962 to provide space for exhibits by foreign countries. Designed in a L-shape and acting as the Northwestern physical boundary for the World's Fair, the structure is a single story with open volumes. As the guiding architect of the 1962 World's Fair, Paul Thiry designed the facades facing the International Fountain and Key Arena as open air bays. The exterior boundary walls are made of tilt-up concrete panels.
The now Seattle City Landmark was recently reborn for KEXP as a light-filled global music hub, complete with a music library, live performance spaces, DJ booths, open-office workstations, and the first-ever coffee retail concept for Italian espresso machine maker La Marzocco. SKB Architects, in conjunction with Walters-Storyk Design Group, designed KEXP's new 28,000-square-foot home. KEXP's extensive music library of 50,000+ albums is showcased behind large glass windows at the corner of 1st Ave N and Republican St. Passers-by can watch as DJ's curate songs and prepare for their next show.
The four stops on this year's tour are an interesting mix of the various ways Modernism can play out in Seattle. From a second chance at life, to brand spanking new, to adaptive reuse -- there is room for it all.