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in the distance. As originally constructed, the landscape surrounding the building is an integral part of the building's design. An axial, centered walkway, flanked by polished granite planters and cheek blocks, leads to three centered entries and reiterates the building's formality. The large landscaped area between the front elevation and Fifth Avenue consists of lawn and symmetrically placed groupings of hedges and large oak trees. This green space is among the largest in downtown
Seattle and has become a popular public gathering place.
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The abstracted
Neoclassical features seen upon this building are characteristic of many federal buildings constructed in the 1930s. The courthouse is distinguished by its location on the eastern third of a large parcel that slopes down the hill twenty-four feet toward Fifth Avenue, facing Elliott Bay
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The interior of the building was renovated in 1983–1984, when the original steel windows were replaced. The public elevator lobbies and major courtrooms retain their original finishes and locations, although interior corridors and office spaces are altered. In 1985, GSA's Art in
Architecture program
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Exterior ornamentation occurs primarily on the first three stories, which form a broad pedestal. The main body of the building steps back from the pedestal base, rises seven more stories, and is capped by a recessed, two-story penthouse. On the principal facades, west and east, the pedestal and main
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From 2006 to 2009, the building underwent an extensive renovation project. A new secured underground facility was added and the building was upgraded to meet current seismic standards. The renovation received LEED certification for design, energy efficient building systems, reuse and recycling of
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In contrast to the relatively restrained exterior design, the public interior spaces are distinguished by exuberantly colored tile and other ornamentation, such as Art Deco aluminum radiator covers and pyramid-shaped light fixtures. Each floor of the building is accessed through a public elevator
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The 10-story Art Deco building at 1010 Fifth Avenue houses 5 courtrooms and is one of four regular meeting places for the Ninth
Circuit, where appeals from northern Districts are heard. With a mix of Neoclassical and modern abstract features, the Nakamura Courthouse overlooks a large sloping lawn
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panels in the upper stories, creating a pronounced feeling of verticality. Three entrance doors are recessed into the first-story portions of both west and east elevations. The north and south elevations complement the west and east, with one centrally located continuous vertical window bay.
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The building interior was renovated in 1983–1984. In 2001, the
Courthouse was renamed to honor Seattle native Private First Class William Kenzo Nakamura. Before joining the U.S. Army in 1942, Nakamura and his Japanese family were sent to a
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starting in August 2004, and the
Nakamura Courthouse underwent extensive renovations from 2006 to 2009. It now serves as one of four regular meeting places for the Ninth Circuit and houses the chambers of Seattle-based judges. Along with
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commissioned two oil-on-canvas paintings titled The
Effects of Good and Bad Government from artist Caleb Ives Bach. Originally located in the lobby, the paintings were conserved in 2008 and reinstalled in the law library.
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halted virtually all
Seattle construction, the building signaled the potential for new growth in downtown Seattle and substantial federal investment in the region. Constructed on the former site of
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camp. He was killed near
Castellina, Italy on July 4, 1944, while singlehandedly protecting his platoon by his own initiative. Nakamura was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2000.
489:, who in the 1930s went to Europe to study emerging Modern design techniques with a goal of incorporating them into new federal architecture. This experience shaped the use of modernized
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in the western United States. The building represents the United States' commitment to democratic ideals and evokes the stability, permanence, and authority of the federal government.
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lobby. On the first two floors, the walls are surfaced with salmon, turquoise, and mustard terracotta panels and the floors are highly polished starburst-patterned
537:. The courthouse features five courtrooms with fifteen-foot windows, engaged columns of walnut in the Doric order, aluminum stars and wheat staff ornamentation.
391:(landscaped with a large central walkway, planters, hedges, and oak trees) which has become one of the more significant public green spaces in downtown Seattle.
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in 2001. The Ninth
Circuit started using the building in the 1970s and became the principal tenant in 2004 when most other users moved to the new 23-story
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Approved by Congress in 1936, with construction begun in 1936 and completed in 1940, the United States Courthouse in Seattle was the first single-purpose
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in Portland, Oregon, this is where appeals are heard from the northern Districts (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska) of the Ninth Circuit.
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The courthouse is ten stories with a penthouse, creating a monumental and restrained but modern presence. Its elevations are of a solid, symmetrical,
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building mass is broken up into a series of solid bays with vertical bands of recessed glass and decorated cast metal
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to the west, is a distinctive open space in the densely developed district. The consulting design architect was
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2006-2009: LEED-certified building renovation, modernization, and seismic upgrade project
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massing. Its east-facing facade presents the illusion of an elevated, abstracted temple
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on hundreds of federal buildings with designs Simon oversaw in the 1930s and 1940s.
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2001: Building renamed to honor Medal of Honor recipient William Kenzo Nakamura
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1983-1984: Structural and interior improvements are made and windows replaced
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1936: Congress approves $ 1.7 million for site acquisition and construction
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A fictional version of the courthouse is featured in the 2020 video game
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606:"William K. Nakamura Federal Courthouse - Seattle WA - Living New Deal"
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200:, Weinstein A/U Architects-Urban Design, Seattle (2006-2009 renovation)
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1980: Building and site listed in National Register of Historic Places
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ceremonies for immigrants to the Pacific Northwest occurred here. The
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in shades of brown and beige. The ceilings are accented with stepped
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to consolidate federal agencies within the city, it was renamed for
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of 1936–1937. The building's final plans were likely approved by
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724:"U. S. Courthouse, 1010 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, King County, WA"
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accents of patterned terracotta, metal moldings, and glass.
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Mortensen Construction, Bellevue, WA (December 1, 2009).
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Located at the eastern edge of a large site in Seattle's
685:"William Kenzo Nakamura Federal Courthouse Renovation"
656:"William Kenzo Nakamura U.S. Courthouse, Seattle, WA"
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United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
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United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
508:skeleton frame is clad in terracotta plates, with
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353:William Kenzo Nakamura United States Courthouse
21:William Kenzo Nakamura United States Courthouse
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434:moved into the courthouse in the early 1970s.
708:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
564:1938-1940: Building design and construction
793:1940 establishments in Washington (state)
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235:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
773:Federal courthouses in the United States
545:existing materials and other measures.
783:Government buildings completed in 1940
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484:Supervising Architect of the Treasury
418:, Clerk's Office, Probation Office,
778:Gilbert Stanley Underwood buildings
184:190,000 square feet (18,000 m)
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750:from websites or documents of the
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768:Courthouses in Washington (state)
746: This article incorporates
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788:Government buildings in Seattle
752:General Services Administration
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416:Federal Bureau of Investigation
154:General Services Administration
445:Most tenants moved to the new
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440:Japanese American internment
420:United States Secret Service
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406:Opened ten years after the
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476:Gilbert Stanley Underwood
468:Central Business District
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447:United States Courthouse
412:Seattle's first hospital
381:United States Courthouse
369:United States Courthouse
42:United States Courthouse
367:. Built in 1940 as the
189:Design and construction
145:$ 71 million(2006-2009)
748:public domain material
550:The Last of Us Part II
363:primarily used by the
301:47.60722°N 122.33139°W
104:William Kenzo Nakamura
306:47.60722; -122.33139
129:1983-1984, 2006-2009
110:Construction started
729:Library of Congress
506:reinforced concrete
377:William K. Nakamura
361:Seattle, Washington
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275:Seattle, Washington
70:Architectural style
47:General information
480:San Francisco Mint
456:Pioneer Courthouse
401:federal courthouse
357:federal courthouse
504:. The building's
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205:Other information
160:Technical details
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210:Number of rooms
142:Renovation cost
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373:Medal of Honor
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137:$ 1.7 million
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692:. Retrieved
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659:. Retrieved
609:. Retrieved
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498:Neoclassical
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462:Architecture
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213:5 courtrooms
194:Architect(s)
39:Former names
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472:Elliott Bay
304: /
292:122°19′53″W
280:Coordinates
173:Floor count
121:August 1940
78:PWA Moderne
762:Categories
694:August 11,
611:August 11,
592:References
577:by artist
491:Classicism
422:, and the
375:recipient
289:47°36′26″N
181:Floor area
94:Washington
64:Courthouse
704:cite news
581:installed
502:colonnade
320:1936-1940
126:Renovated
118:Completed
100:Named for
55:Completed
556:Timeline
531:terrazzo
522:spandrel
510:Art Deco
332:80004003
272:Location
165:Material
74:Art deco
535:coffers
449:in the
395:History
383:in the
176:10, 13
90:Seattle
84:Address
573:1985:
52:Status
355:is a
317:Built
150:Owner
710:link
696:2016
663:2017
613:2016
351:The
134:Cost
113:1936
60:Type
359:in
327:No.
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671:^
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
