SEATTLE CENTER ARMORY
FOOD & EVENT HALL

Studio Matthews / 2021

Team / Principal: Kristine Matthews / Art Direction + Design: Jeffrey Underwood + Cassie Klingler / Photography: Sam Cook + Doug Walker Photography

Deliverables / wayfinding programming / exterior signage

Since its construction in 1939 as a National Guard Armory, this Art Moderne civic landmark has served a remarkable range of purposes, most notably as an exhibit hall for the 1962 World's Fair. Over the decades, layers of outdated signage, oversized canopies, and tired graphics had obscured the building's original character. Phase 1, in collaboration with Graham Baba Architects, stripped it back and reinstated the Armory name. Phase 2, executed by BuildingWork, brought that renewed identity to the building's exterior, and that's where my work began.

My contribution was in establishing a vision for the exterior facade: refined, crisp detailing in the tradition of Art Moderne, a clean white paint scheme that allows the warm brick to pop, and a timeless, contemporary presence befitting a Seattle landmark.

That same vision carried into the signage and wayfinding system, which I looked to the great food halls and markets found throughout the world to inform. The approach is intentionally restrained, allowing the energy of the vendors, events, and activity inside to project forward. The goal was a system that orients visitors clearly while stepping back to let the place speak for itself, restoring the Armory to its rightful place as the center of Seattle Center.