Seattle Justice Center

Seattle Justice Center
Seattle Justice Center is located in Seattle WA Downtown
Seattle Justice Center
Location within downtown Seattle
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeOffice building
Address600 5th Avenue
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Coordinates47°36′15″N 122°19′45″W / 47.60417°N 122.32917°W / 47.60417; -122.32917
GroundbreakingJuly 19, 2000
CompletedNovember 2002
Cost$92 million
OwnerCity of Seattle
Technical details
Floor count13
Floor area183,000 square feet (17,000 m2)
Design and construction
Architecture firmNBBJ
Main contractorHoffman Construction

The Seattle Justice Center is a 13-story government office building in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is located at 600 5th Avenue in the city's civic center complex and houses the Municipal Court of Seattle and the headquarters of the Seattle Police Department.[1] The building was completed in 2002 at a cost of approximately $92 million, taking two years to construct.[2] NBBJ was the architect,[3] and Hoffman Construction was the general contractor.[1]

The Municipal Court occupies the lower three floors and floors eight through twelve, while the police department has offices in the rest of the building.[4] It replaced the Public Safety Building, which was demolished in 2005. The facility was built to the city's green design standards, including a green roof,[5] but as of 2010, "struggled to take hold, plagued to different degrees by weeds, a lack of summer irrigation, and the need for repeated replanting".[6] Other environmentally friendly features include a façade providing ventilation to the building, and a water retention system.[3]

The Justice Center is connected to the adjacent City Hall by an underground waterway, which forms an artificial waterfall in the western plaza.[7]

  1. ^ a b "City Center". Seattle Department of Finance and Administrative Services. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  2. ^ Shors, Benjamin (July 19, 2000). "Justice Center groundbreaking set today; expected cost: $92 million". The Seattle Times. p. B3.
  3. ^ a b Mudede, Charles; Savage, Dan (November 22, 2007). "Constructing Christmas". The Stranger. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  4. ^ "New justice center". The Seattle Times. November 7, 2002. p. B2.
  5. ^ Sherman, Kris (November 10, 2002). "Green by Design". The News Tribune. p. A1.
  6. ^ Stiffler, Lisa (September 22, 2010). "City of Seattle wants more eco-friendly 'green roofs'". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  7. ^ Deneau Dunham, Sandy (September 7, 2017). "There's more to Seattle architecture than meets the eye". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 5, 2019.