Rainier Tower

Minoru Yamasaki
1977



A balancing act

This skyscraper, one of two in Seattle by Yamasaki, is raised up on a 12-story pedestal. This Seattle-born architect's building is sometimes called "the beaver building," a reference to the fact that it might look as if a beaver had chewed it at its base. This "international style" building is more characteristic of that style than some of Yamasaki's buildings, those often being referred to as "decorated International style." Continuous vertical spandrels enhance the structure's height.




See index for additional works on this site by Yamasaki.



Click here to return to index of art historical sites.

Click here to return to index of artists and architects.

Click here to return to chronological index.

Click here to see the home page of Bluffton University.


© 2008 Mary Ann Sullivan. I have photographed (on site), scanned, and manipulated all the images on these pages. Please feel free to use them for personal or educational purposes. They are not available for commercial purposes.