Location: 410 5th Ave NW
mid-Century modern
Capitol Center Building late 1960s, Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation collection |
Capitol Center Building in 2014 before remodeling (2014), photo by Deb Ross |
Widely criticized for a time, for its obstructing views and deteriorating condition, the Capitol Center Building was at one time the feather in local architect G. Stacey Bennett’s cap. Built in the late 1960s for $2 million, it featured cutting edge modernism with its glass curtain effect, termed the Miesian style, after Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The foundation of the building is over seven feet thick, making it earthquake-proof despite its footing on fill. It is the tallest building in the city, surpassing the former “skyscraper” Security Building. The building was the home to several state agencies: each floor contains over 8,000 square feet of space. The building has undergone extensive remodeling as an apartment complex, eliminating many of its original features, though retaining an echo of Bennett’s curtain wall.
The building is on the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation inventory as part of DAHP’s “Nifty from the Last Fifty” project.
Additional resources:
Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation Inventory
Copyright © 2022 Deborah Ross