Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Selects Seattle Center Site for New Headquarters

SEATTLE -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced the selection of a site owned by the City of Seattle and located adjacent to Seattle Center for its new headquarters building. After an extensive property search, the foundation picked a site that will reflect the foundation’s ongoing work in the community and around the world. The site, currently a parking lot operated by Seattle Center, is located along 5th Avenue North across the street from Memorial Stadium. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and foundation president and co-chair Patty Stonesifer made the announcement today at Seattle Center.

The agreed fair market purchase price is $50.4 million for 12.3 acres of land. The agreement will be subject to Seattle City Council approval. Assuming the agreement is adopted, construction of the new building would begin sometime in 2007. The foundation said it is committed to constructing its new building according to Seattle’s citywide policy on sustainable building, which emphasizes environmental, economic, and social stewardship.

“Seattle has always been a beacon of generosity and so we are both excited and humbled that our family foundation might one day be located at the center of a city that values public service and philanthropy. These are ideals that intersect this city and our family foundation,” said foundation co-chair Bill Gates, Sr.

“The decision to build our new headquarters adjacent to Seattle Center recognizes the unique relationship between Seattle and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,” said Stonesifer. “Our staff is excited about the possibility that the foundation’s long-term home will be located in the center of our hometown. We’ve selected a headquarters site that will deepen our roots in the Seattle community while meeting our future program needs in the Pacific Northwest and around the world.”

“We are proud of the work that the Gates Foundation does around the world and right here in Seattle,” said Nickels. “In deciding to build its new headquarters across from Seattle Center—the very heart of the city—the foundation is both honoring its Seattle roots and creating exciting new opportunities to strengthen our community.”

“We welcome the Gates Foundation to Seattle’s community gathering place,” said City Council President Jan Drago. “We believe it’s the highest and best use for the property and a great fit for the foundation and the City.”

John Coney, President of the Uptown Alliance welcomed today’s announcement saying that the foundation’s decision to build its new headquarters near Seattle Center “strengthens both Seattle Center and the Queen Anne neighborhood. We look forward to an excellent working relationship between the Gates Foundation and the local community.”

The foundation has invested more than $1 billion to date in Seattle through its four program areas, including global health, education, public libraries and local giving, which emphasizes housing and human services for vulnerable families.

The selection of the site adjacent to Seattle Center adds a new layer to the rich mosaic of Seattle Center neighborhood. Philanthropy has long been central to the Seattle Center’s story. In 1881, James Osborne bequeathed his estate to the City of Seattle to build a "civic hall" at today’s Seattle Center. Eight years later, in 1889, David and Louisa Denny donated acreage (portions of Seattle Center) to the city.