Smith Tower

A tower built in 1914 to a design by the Syracuse firm Gaggin & Gaggin, in neoclassical style with granite on its lower floors and terracotta above. It was designated a Seattle landmark in 1984. It held the title of tallest building west of the Mississippi River until 1931 and remained the tallest on the United States West Coast until the Space Needle surpassed it in 1962. Its street address is published as 506 Second Avenue on the strength of an independent geocoder; the encyclopedia's own article gives 500 Second Avenue, and the discrepancy is reported rather than resolved.