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A Welcoming Front Door
A native big-leaf maple tree now grows at the entrance to our future Seattle headquarters at 500 Fifth Avenue North. Passers-by saw a crane lift the mature tree over the construction fence on February 5. With a trunk diameter of almost eight inches, it weighed nearly 10,000 pounds.
Though it looks a bit lonely today, the tree (shown on the right in the illustration above) will be a campus landmark, drawing visitors through an open-air entry court to our front door. Public views into the campus – and beyond
The entry court, located along Fifth Avenue North, will be ready for the public in spring 2011. We hope our neighbors and visitors to Seattle find it a welcoming place—and return to enjoy its trees, benches, sidewalks, and landscaping.
The entry court can be a place to pause or a starting point for exploration. You can:
- Observe the campus heart from a public overlook: Standing in a tranquil fern garden near the big-leaf maple, you can look one floor down at two water features and a four-story glass atrium set amid sustainable landscaping.
- Use public benches to enjoy every city’s greatest pastime: people watching. The entry court will be a pleasant place to pause, relax, and watch the world go by.
- Enter the visitor center: It will be free and open to the public in summer 2011.
Transparency builds community
We chose our future neighborhood—across the street from Seattle Center and the Space Needle—because it’s in the heart of Seattle. And we’re building a campus that reflects our strong local roots and guiding values.
Bill Gates, Sr., talks in a brief video about the ties between our work and new home. You can watch A New Home for the Foundation on our web site.
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Fifth Avenue North: A Walker’s Delight
| Why so much emphasis on encouraging foot traffic outside our front door?
The design of our new campus fits into a long-term neighborhood plan to improve the urban experience along Fifth Avenue North—a busy and important inner-city street primed for new vitality.
Seattle Center and others will be doing their part to create a more diverse and welcoming scene along the west side of Fifth Avenue North.
One plan is the transformation of Memorial Stadium into an open playing field and concert venue (just one piece of Seattle Center’s Century 21 Master Plan for redevelopment).
Other ideas that would revitalize the street include:
- A bike and pedestrian trail from Elliott Bay to South Lake Union, called the Lake to Bay Loop, that could pass along Fifth Avenue North
- Turning the Mercer Arena into extra space for Seattle Opera
- Sustainable design upgrades to KCTS-TV’s building
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 | When our construction fence comes down on the east side of Fifth Avenue North, here’s what you’ll experience as you stroll between Harrison and Mercer streets.
Big trees, wide sidewalks, benches, and a bus stop
Healthy, mature London plane trees, already 15- to 20-feet tall, will provide natural shade, texture, and greenery along this busy street.
New sidewalks—up to 20 feet wide—will accommodate a steady and ever-changing flow of neighbors, workers, tourists, bus riders, garage users, sports fans, culture and art lovers, dog walkers, event attendees, and visitors from all over the city, country, and world.
Landscaping (mostly native plants) will provide a natural buffer between the sidewalks and the foundation’s buildings. Benches can give respite to walkers and those waiting for the many Metro buses along Fifth Avenue North. Public art for the community
You’ll also see new public art along the east side of the street. It will complement the stained-glass “bracelet” that already brightens the south entry to the Seattle Center 5th Ave N Parking Garage (at the corner of Harrison Street and Fifth Avenue North).
Coming up: Look for more details later this year about the public art you’ll see near our north building. |
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Read Bill Gates’ Annual Letter Online
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In his second annual letter, foundation co-chair Bill Gates explains why our grantmaking in global health, global development, and education focuses on innovation—and how we decide which ideas to get behind.
He also reflects on his first year working full-time at the foundation.
“Seeing the work firsthand reminds me of how urgent the needs are as well as how challenging it is to get all the right pieces to come together,” he says. “I love my new job and feel lucky to get to focus my time on these problems.”
We invite you to read Bill Gates’ 2010 Annual Letter. | |
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| Keeping Up with Construction
Interested in more details about upcoming construction work? To stay up to speed and receive updates, visit the web site of Sellen, the project's general contractor.
Sellen's weekly bulletins help our future neighbors know what to expect and when to plan for changes around the project site, including street closures. |
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