Food & Drink
Seattle’s Skinner Chimes Are Not What You Think
Those noon chimes? Here’s where they come from
By Lena Beck March 20, 2019
This article originally appeared in the March 2019 issue of Seattle magazine.
This article appears in print in the March 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe.
The Landmark: The Skinner Chimes
The Location: The Skinner Building, downtown, 1326 Fifth Ave.
The Backstory: Each day at noon, Seattleites in the downtown area may hear chimes, yet the sound can’t be traced to any nearby church or cathedral. Listeners might be disappointed to find out that they aren’t real bells, but an electronic carillon—an automated set of chimes. They sound from atop the historic Skinner Building (a space not open to the public), at Fifth Avenue and Union Street, which houses the 5th Avenue Theatre.
The chimes were installed in honor of the late David E. “Ned” Skinner II (1920–1988), a prominent Seattle investor and philanthropist involved with some of the city’s most iconic institutions (the Space Needle, the Seahawks, the 5th Avenue Theatre and the Seattle Art Museum, among others). A plaque outside the building’s Fifth Avenue entrance marks the chimes, as well as Skinner’s contributions to the city.
The chimes serve as a poetic link connecting the Skinner Corporation’s properties across the region, including Carillon Point in Kirkland, a resort and marina featuring six massive bell towers that, in turn, offer a reminder of the area’s shipbuilding past, when bells were used to communicate. Back in downtown Seattle, the chimes indeed still communicate a message—one of our city’s history, and the impact of one man upon it.
Follow Us
Microsoft Awards $5M Worth Of Grants To AI innovators
The grants are part of the company’s 50th anniversary this year
Microsoft has given 20 organizations $50,000 each as part of its AI for Good grants program. The grants — part of an initiative to celebrate Microsoft’s 50th anniversary this year — recognize organizations for their innovations in artificial intelligence. The organizations — who applied for the grants earlier this year — receive resources to help…
Seattle Commute Survey Shows More Office Activity
Both transit travel and driving trips are on the rise
Downtown Seattle foot traffic still isn’t nearly what it was prior to the pandemic, but more people are commuting to offices on a regular basis. The 2024 Commute Seattle Survey finds that both transit travel and drive-alone trips are on the rise as remote working drops. Citywide, the percentage of people reporting that their jobs…
Seattle Pride Seeks Support As Sponsorships Dry Up
The nonprofit has launched a fundraising campaign to make up for a $350,000 deficit
For Patti Hearn, no amount is too small. Every little bit helps. Hearn, executive director of Seattle Pride, is working feverishly to bridge a $350,000 fundraising gap because of shifts in corporate sponsorship. Seattle Pride — a nonprofit foundation that produces the annual Seattle Pride Parade and a slew of other events, including Seattle Pride…
Tapped Out
Washington lawmakers propose doubling beer and wine taxes
You might be paying significantly more for your pint next year. House Bill 2079, introduced by Representative Lauren Davis (D–District 32), would raise the tax on beer from $4.78 to $9.56 per barrel for most breweries. The bill also proposes doubling taxes on wine from 1 cent to 2 cents per liter and increasing taxes…