King County Administration Building

The King County Administration Building is a nine-story office building in Seattle, the seat of King County, Washington, United States. Completed in 1971, the building is located at 500 Fourth Avenue, in between Jefferson Street and James Street, and parking is available in parking garages on all surrounding streets. Designed by the Harmon, Pray and Detrich architectural firm, it features a unique hexagonal, honeycomb theme in its walls and windows.[1][2]

King Country Administration Building with hexagonal theme
Hexagon window openings

The plaza surrounding the building was the site of a five-month protest by homeless people opposed to funding cuts for a homeless non-profit organization in 2016.[3]

The building was rendered mostly vacant in 2020 as the county government adopted remote work for most of its employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. With increasing maintenance costs and significant renovation work needed, the county ultimately announced in April 2022 that it would fully vacate and shutter the building by the end of the year despite having no plans for the building's future.[4] A proposal to demolish the building as part of a civic campus redevelopment program was announced by County Executive Dow Constantine in 2023.[5]

Agencies

Several agencies are located in the Administration Building, including:

  • Archives and Records Management
  • Assessor's Office
  • Facilities Management
  • Marriage Licensing
  • Recorder's Office
  • Vehicle Licensing
  • Prosecuting Attorney
  • King County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division

Notes
  1. King County document
  2. "King County, Administration Building #2, Seattle, WA". Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
  3. Clarridge, Christine (September 2, 2016). "Homeless to end campout protest in Seattle plaza, move to reopened shelters". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  4. Gutman, David (April 21, 2022). "'The ugliest building in downtown Seattle' or 'a piece of public art'? Either way, King County is closing it down". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  5. Gutman, David (March 7, 2023). "King County should redevelop downtown campus, Constantine proposes". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 7, 2023.

47°36′11″N 122°19′46″W


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