Like the psychedelic Beatles' song, the unique Arctic Building, completed in 1917, is celebrated for its walruses. Their heads (25 of them), surrounded by intricate terracotta ornamentation, peek out from the building’s exterior.

Though the walruses’ tusks were originally authentic ivory, an earthquake in the 1940s managed to shake a few of them loose to the ground. To protect passersby from the unusual urban hazard of being skewered by falling tusks, the ivory was replaced with epoxy.


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1. Columbia Center

0.08 MILES

Everyone rushes for the iconic Space Needle, but it's not the tallest Seattle viewpoint. That honor goes to the sleek, tinted-windowed Columbia Center at…

2. Smith Tower

0.14 MILES

Sneak a peak at the beaux arts–inspired lobby while on your way to the 35th-floor Observatory of this landmark building. The views aren't as dramatic as…

3. Pioneer Building

0.14 MILES

Elmer Fisher, whose fingerprints are ubiquitous in Pioneer Square, designed this iconic Pioneer Square building.

4. Pioneer Square Park

0.16 MILES

The original Pioneer Square is a cobbled triangular plaza where Henry Yesler’s sawmill cut the giant trees that marked Seattle’s first industry. Known…

5. Three Piece Sculpture: Vertebrae

0.17 MILES

These three large pieces of the human anatomy recreated in bronze are the work of British sculptor Henry Moore. They stand guard at the entrance to the 50…

6. Pioneer Square Historical District

0.17 MILES

Many important architectural heirlooms are concentrated in Pioneer Square, the district that sprang up in the wake of the 1889 Great Fire. Instantly…

7. Pergola

0.17 MILES

This decorative iron pergola in Pioneer Square Park was built in 1909 to serve as an entryway to an underground lavatory and to shelter those waiting for…

8. Safeco Plaza

0.17 MILES

Built in 1969 and originally known as 1001 Fourth Avenue Plaza, this was one of the city’s first real skyscrapers. At the time, it was a darling of the…