Columbia Center lighting up for Seahawks, NFC Championship
Jan 15, 2015, 6:08 AM | Updated: 6:08 am
Seattle’s tallest building is about to become the city’s newest night time attraction, thanks to a dazzling new LED light display firing up just in time to commemorate the Seahawks run to a second straight NFC Championship.
Crews have been putting the final touches this week on the light bands spanning the iconic 76-story Columbia Center. It’s the first time lights have adorned the tower.
The lights are attached to each of the tower’s three rooftops on floors 43, 61 and 76, with the highest light reaching 943 feet.
The light display can be programmed to change color and feature subtle animation to showcase specific dates and events and organizations throughout the year, says Andy Wattula, Senior VP with Beacon Capital, the owner of the Columbia Center.
Just in time for Blue Friday, the new lights will get their official unveiling Friday night at 5 p.m. with a blue and green display celebrating the Seahawks.
“We’re excited to start with a celebration of the Seahawks in recognition of the team’s success and its fans’ support this season,” says Wattula. “The new lighting at Columbia Center accentuates the character and design of this iconic building, and allows us to celebrate local and national events with our tenants and the Seattle community.”
In addition to the colorful crown lighting, a special animation will run around the lights every hour on the hour, turning Seattle’s tallest building into a digital clock visible throughout the city. The animations can also be tied to spontaneous events such as a Seahawks’ touchdown or Mariners’ home run, says Wattula.
Along with the new lights, Beacon Capital has spent $4.5 million on an ambitious new renovation of the Columbia Tower that includes new signage and digital displays in the lobby and atrium, extensive renovations to the public Sky View Observatory on the 73rd floor, a new fitness center and a state-of-the-art conference facility.
You can follow the Columbia Center lights on Twitter and the Columbia Center website for the latest on the tower’s displays.