Sky View Observatory at Columbia Center in downtown Seattle is the ideal first stop on your visit to the Emerald City. Here you can map out your entire Pacific Northwest experience: riding the Great Wheel, shopping in Pike Place Market, hiking the Cascades, ferrying to Bainbridge Island, cruising Elliott Bay and exploring the San Juan Islands. Sky View Observatory is located on the 73rd floor of Columbia Center. At 902 feet it offers the tallest public viewing area in the Pacific Northwest. The 360 degree panoramic view includes Mt. Rainier, Bellevue, the Cascade Mountains, Mt. Baker, Elliott Bay, the Olympic Mountains, the Space Needle and the city of Seattle. Developed by Martin Selig, the 76-story, 1.5 million square foot Columbia Center was completed in 1985. Clad in smoked tempered glass and Carnelian granite, the structure boasts 8,800 windows, 2,100 hydronic heat pumps, 48 elevators, and 6 escalators. The many technical innovations required for such a large scale project, such as viscoelastic dampers and triangle shaped bracing, enable Columbia Center to withstand earthquakes and hurricane force winds, making it one of the strongest and safest buildings in the Pacific Northwest.