The Starbucks Center, world headquarters for Starbucks

Starbucks

Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...

, is the largest multi-tenant building by floor space in Seattle, Washington, with over 1800000 square feet (167,225.5 m²). It is located in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood, which makes up a part of the city's large industrial district. It is both the largest and oldest building in the country to earn a national green certification.

History

In 1912, the building was constructed by the Union Pacific Railroad in a successful attempt to lure Sears, Roebuck to Seattle. The building was used to fulfill the Sears Catalog in the Western U.S. Sears opened a retail store at this location in 1925. According to the owner, this is currently the world's oldest continuously operated Sears store.

The building was repeatedly expanded throughout the twentieth century. After the Sears catalog business was closed, the building was sold in 1987, and eventually redeveloped as the Sodo Center. The building underwent significant renovation following severe damage suffered in the 2001 Nisqually earthquake. Later, Starbucks became the building's primary tenant and secured naming rights.