Portage Bay Vista, Seattle

Portage Bay Vista

Portage Bay Vista forms part of a view corridor on the University of Washington Seattle campus, located between NE Pacific Street and NE Boat Street/Columbia Road. The view corridor stretches from the Physics/Astronomy Building to the northeast, to Portage Bay to the southwest. The university has proposed an underground Animal Research and Care Facility under the north end of Portage Bay Vista. Recent news has the building’s cost being higher than expected, and there is controversy over spending extra money to put a building underground to preserve views.

(The image quality of the photos is not optimal, due to the use of a phone camera.)

The above photo shows the view corridor from the the Physics/Astronomy Building. Auditoriums and classrooms are in the wing to the left. Outside the photo to the right are two wings containing classrooms and offices. Under the plaza (Mark McDemott Plaza) are laboratories & hallways, which connect the three wings. Portage Bay, Portage Bay Vista, and the building site are not visible from here, but the top of the Space Needle can be seen in the distance.

Moving southwest, Portage Bay, Portage Bay Vista, and the building site are now visible.

At the edge of the plaza, more of the building site is visible, and the top of the Space Needle is still visible from here. On the right is the Foege Building, and on the left is the Ocean Sciences Building. The brown building on the far left behind the trees is Hitchcock Hall. The pathway along Portage Bay Vista is Thurston Lane NE, and the pathway crossing east-west is NE Skamania Lane. In the foreground is NE Pacific Street.

Looking back at the Physics/Astronomy Building from the north end of Portage Bay Vista, at NE Pacific St.

Now looking forward from the north end of Portage Bay Vista, at NE Pacific St. The lawn in the foreground is the location of the planned underground animal research building. Located at the center-right of the photo is “Stronghold”, a sculpture which looks like a large hollow stump. Only the extreme top of the Space Needle is visible from here, and is no longer visible at the south end of the vista.

Looking back from the south end of Portage Bay Vista. The lawn in the foreground is not part of the building project. Hitchcock Hall is visible on the right of the photo.

External Links:

• Overview of Portage Bay Vista Area – Google Maps
• UW board questions cost of planned animal-research lab – Seattle Times ($)
• The Hidden Cost of Views – Seattle Transit Blog
• Campus Maps – University of Washington

Photos taken on October 3, 2013.