Seattle, WA (SEA)

303 South Jackson St.
King St. Station
Seattle, WA 98104

Station Ownership

Facility:
City of Seattle

Parking:
City of Seattle

Platform(s):
BNSF Railway

Track(s):
BNSF Railway

Amtrak Contact

Jonathan Hutchison

Routes Served:

• Amtrak Cascades
• Coast Starlight
• Empire Builder

History

Seattle's King Street Station was constructed in 1906 by the Great Northern Railway. The building is constructed of granite and red brick with terra cotta and cast stone ornamentation. The distinctive clock tower is a Seattle landmark and was inspired by the Piazza de San Marco's bell tower in Venice, Italy. The station was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

In the late 1960s the station interior was modernized. The ornate waiting room ceilings were covered for the next three decades by a fabricated lowered ceiling. The chandeliers were replaced by fluorescent lighting and the intricate marble was covered with plastic laminate. New cosmetic renovations and modernization of services began in 2003. New platform canopies, tracks and a new entrance canopy were installed. Brass fixtures were added at the trackside doors. Tall windows in the waiting room that were covered over in the 1960s were replaced by new wood frame windows. The light now shines through in the waiting room which was also enlarged. The decorative waiting room plaster was recreated and installed in the northwest corner across from the ticket counter. The Compass Room, named for the navigational compass star design laid out in hand cut marble tiles on the floor, is the entrance foyer to the station and the base of the clock tower. The renovations here included the installation of new mahogany entrance doors, new marble cladding, painting and the restoration of the ornamental plaster. Further restoration (including seismic retrofitting) should be completed within the next few years.  $10 million in city funds will match $16.5 million in federal and state monies to fund the improvements.

Seattle is served by the daily Empire Builder to and from Chicago, the daily Coast Starlight to and from Los Angeles and 12 daily Eugene-Portland-Seattle-Vancouver Amtrak Cascades trains. The Amtrak Cascades are primarily financed through funds made available by the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

ADA Compliance

Federal law requires compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by 2010. The following is a list of items typically required for transportation and public facilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please check the regulations for guidance or contact us for more information.