Have you ever looked up at Smith Tower and wondered what’s behind the teardrop windows of its pyramid-shaped peak?
Smith Tower, which is located in Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square neighborhood, was known for being the tallest building west of the Mississippi River until 1931. Today you can take the elevator up to the 35th floor to enjoy the bar and observation deck. But tucked right above that is a one-bedroom apartment with stunning views, a lively history, and a glass globe at the very top.
Keep reading to see the most recent photos of the Smith Tower penthouse and to learn more about the Seattle mom who rented it for a discounted rate for 20 years—plus what it’s going for these days!
In 2010, the New York Times published an article titled “Making a Home in a Pyramid, 462 Feet Above Seattle.” It’s a fascinating profile of choreographer and venture capitalist Petra Franklin, who renovated and occupied the Smith Tower penthouse with her two daughters for years until she moved out in 2019.
The amount that she paid for rent has never been disclosed, although the article shared that Franklin got it at a “fixed market rate” for 10 years in addition to “a discount for the improvements she made, amortized over 20 years.” The Times article also noted that around the time of the 1970s, “the rent was just $300 or $400 a month, and possession would pass with the key from friend to friend.” Residents were typically artists and writers.
Before Franklin moved in during the late ’90s the unit had been empty for over a decade and was in serious need of repairs and updates. For one thing, there were ladders instead of stairs to get from one floor to another. The article details how Franklin worked with a low renovation budget and sourced many of the finishes for the penthouse from elsewhere in Smith Tower, such as leftover marble from office space renovations and vintage carved Chinese chairs from the basement.
The entire article is worth a read; it delves into Franklin’s fascinating life—peppered with characters like Dave Chihuly and Bret Easton Ellis—as well as her usage of the penthouse as a sort of salon over the years for political fundraisers, theater benefits, concerts, and creative gatherings. She called it “the Lighthouse” and would allow her young daughters to sit and read in the glass globe at the very top.
You can watch a short interview with Franklin that includes video clips of the interior when she was still living there in 2018 on YouTube. Note the blue Chihuly chandelier, which was a gift from the family’s friend and thus is not included with the apartment.
In February 2021, The Seattle Times announced that “The Penthouse Atop Smith Tower is on the Rental Market for the First Time.” The price? A cool $17,000 a month.
The article notes that this amounted to nearly eight times the average price for apartments in downtown Seattle, which was $2,175 in 2020. It’s also interesting to note that the apartment was described as 1,750 square feet when Franklin lived there whereas the 2021 listing has it at 2,128 square feet. Additional renovating may have added more usable square footage after she moved out.
The Smith Tower penthouse is currently listed as leased. According to The Seattle Times article in 2021 the new lease agreement was for a minimum of three to five years.
Franklin’s Chihuly chandelier and her kids’ rubber horse zip line may no longer be there, but if you can afford the lease when the Smith Tower penthouse goes on the market again you’ll be the owner of possibly the best view in Seattle. On clear days, you’ll even see Mount Rainier from your bathtub.