Introduction

This 55-story, classically designed tower has commanding views of Elliott Bay, Lake Union, and the Cascade and Olympic Mountains. The granite and emerald-green-glass building features a pedestrian plaza with three levels of shops and services, as well as a public atrium overlooking the plaza. When it opened in 1988, The New York Times named 1201 Third as one of the nation’s three best new office buildings.

Seven years were spent acquiring the land, developing the plans, and securing the permits to build 1201 Third. At the start of construction, crews excavated seven stories below street level, and approximately 100,000 cubic yards of earth was hauled from the site. Construction of the building was completed in 18 months. In 1990, the plaza sculpture “New Archetypes” was installed on the Second Avenue Plaza. This beautiful piece was sculpted by Anne and Patrick Poirier, renowned French sculptors, specifically for 1201 Third. It is considered a significant piece of public art in the city. The building opened in May 1988 and ten of the original tenants continue to lease space in 1201 Third.

1201 Third has won several honors over the years, including the Urban Land Institute’s 1994 “Award for Excellence” in the Large Scale Office category; the Building Owners and Managers Association’s (BOMA) 2003/2004, 2004/2005, and 2010/2011 “The Office Building of the Year” (TOBY) award, in the Over 1 Million Square Feet category for the Pacific Northwest Region and at the BOMA International Level, and the 2001 Mayor Award in Recognition of Outstanding Achievements in Energy Efficiency and Conservation. The building also took third place in 2009 and first place in 2011 in the BOMA Kilowatt Crackdown for the highest energy performance in a commercial building.

1201 Third received LEED Platinum certification in the Existing Building Operations & Maintenance category (LEED-EB O&M) from the U.S. Green Building Council in December 2010 and recertified under the new, stricter criteria as LEED Gold in 2016. 1201 Third also holds a BOMA 360 Certification and Fitwel Certification.