The man who forever changed Seattle's skyline

Paul Allen's real estate investments leave a complicated legacy.

Ashli Blow

Ashli Blow Jul 6, 2025

Oct 24, 2018

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          <article>
            <header>
              <hgroup>
                <h1>The man who forever changed Seattle's skyline</h1>
                <h2><p>Paul Allen's real estate investments leave a complicated legacy.</p></h2>
              </hgroup>
               <p>By <a href="/author/ashli-blow/">Ashli Blow</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Oct 24, 2018</time></p>
            </header>
            <figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mjKPqOGQXbI" width="560"></iframe></figure><p>Paul Allen passed away on Oct. 15, but his legacy lives on through contributions in technology, arts, music, animal conservation, sports and more. In Seattle, his influence can also be found in the skyline and on the streets. From South Lake Union to CenturyLink to MoPop, there is perhaps no one in the city’s recent history who’s done more to reshape the built environment.</p>
          </article>

Paul Allen passed away on Oct. 15, but his legacy lives on through contributions in technology, arts, music, animal conservation, sports and more. In Seattle, his influence can also be found in the skyline and on the streets. From South Lake Union to CenturyLink to MoPop, there is perhaps no one in the city’s recent history who’s done more to reshape the built environment.

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By Ashli Blow

Ashli Blow is a Seattle-based freelance writer who talks with people — in places from urban watersheds to remote wildernesses — about the environment around them. She’s been working in journal