The Arch at 705 Pike on Pike Street at dusk, its glass vault over 7th Avenue and the Seattle Convention Center sign on the building

What is…

Arch at 705 Pike

The Seattle Convention Center's original building, and the street address it uses.

Updated November 9, 2026.

What is it?

Arch at 705 Pike is the original building of the Seattle Convention Center, on Pike Street at 7th Avenue. It opened in 1988, and the Center's About page gives June 18, 1988 as the date of its first scheduled event.

The campus page calls it "Seattle Convention Center's original building." It holds meeting rooms, ballrooms and exhibit halls, along with "a number of cozy seating areas for intimate conversation." It sits next to Freeway Park, which the Center calls "Seattle's largest downtown public space."

For how the floors are used, see the Dispatch's Twice the Space, from September 13, 2026.

What is it for?

The campus page says that the Arch and the Summit "together create a campus built to usher in the future of meetings and conventions." The About page describes the Center as "the Northwest's premier meetings and events facility," and says "We welcome thousands of visitors from around the globe each year."

Who runs it?

The building is run by the Washington State Convention Center Public Facilities District, which the Center's About page says is "responsible for the Center's management, operations, capital improvements and financial success." The District is a municipal corporation with its own taxing authority. King County Ordinance 16883 formed it on July 19, 2010. Its nine-member board is appointed by the State of Washington, King County and the City of Seattle, and the District has operated as the Seattle Convention Center since April 18, 2022.

For the district and its board, see What is the PFD? and What is the board?.

When can you go?

The Galleria is open to the public, with escalator access from 705 Pike Street to Freeway Park and 2 Union Square. The convention center also runs free art tours of the Arch. The campus page lists the building's public areas as open daily, 6AM to 8PM, and an administration office open Monday to Friday, 8AM to 5PM, as listed on November 6, 2026. Hours change, so check seattlecc.com before you go.

Events in the building are arranged through the Center's event inquiry form.

For the other buildings on the campus, see What is the Seattle Convention Center?

Sources: SCC, "SCC Campus" page (seattlecc.com/scc-campus), read November 6, 2026 (the building description, public building hours and the event inquiry link); SCC, "About SCC" page (the 1988 opening and first scheduled event, the April 18, 2022 name change, the District's responsibilities); SCC's Eventbrite page, read November 9, 2026 (art tours); SCC, "Governance" page (King County Ordinance 16883, July 19, 2010, and the nine-member board and its appointing bodies); the Dispatch, "Twice the Space" (September 13, 2026). Every date and figure above can be checked against them.

Ivan Schneider is the founding editor of the Convention City Dispatch.

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Related

The Seattle Convention CenterThe convention center downtown. Its buildings, who runs it, and how it is paid for. The SummitThe Seattle Convention Center's addition on Pine Street, open since January 2023. Arch at 800 PikeThe Seattle Convention Center's business meeting and event venue, across Pike Street from the Arch at 705 Pike. C-STARThe convention center's storefront safety hub at 810 Pike. What it is, what it is for, who runs it, and when you can go. 9th AvenueTwo things go by the name. The street between Pike and Pine, and the 9th Avenue Market, the shops and restaurants of the convention center's Summit. The master planThe Seattle Convention Center's campus master plan, as shown on the slides at the October 27, 2026 board meeting. The boardThe nine directors who govern the Seattle Convention Center. The PFDThe public agency that owns and runs the Seattle Convention Center. Visit SeattleThe destination marketing organization for Seattle and King County. What it is, how it is paid for, and its contract with the convention center.