If you see a lot of blue lights around Seattle landmarks this week, it’s not in honor of the Seahawks — this time, the color scheme is paying tribute to another one of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s pet projects, the Allen Institute.
Hot spots such as CenturyLink Field, home of the Seahawks; and Columbia Tower, Seattle’s tallest building, will be turning on their cool-blue mood lighting to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the institute’s founding in 2003.
The work began with the Allen Institute for Brain Science, and continued with the Allen Institute for Cell Science (founded in 2014) and The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group (founded in 2016).
The Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, founded in 2013, occupies a different spot in Allen’s org chart, but no one will mind if you want to celebrate AI2, too.
Allen has lots of interests, including his Vulcan real estate holdings and business investments, Stratolaunch Systems, the Museum of Pop Culture, the Upstream Music Fest and Summit, the Seattle Art Fair, Vulcan Productions, the Great Elephant Census — and yes, the Seattle Seahawks football franchise as well as the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team.
But when it comes to the frontiers of biology, the Allen Institute is the philanthropist’s jewel in the crown. Since its founding, Allen has contributed $500 million to the institute.
The peak night of the anniversary light show comes on Tuesday, Sept. 18, but some landmarks will be going blue every night this week. Here’s the starting lineup:
- Allen Institute: Sept. 17-22.
- CenturyLink Field: Sept. 18.
- Columbia Tower: Sept. 18.
- Evergreen Point (SR 520) Floating Bridge: Sept. 17-22.
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center: Sept. 17-22.
- GLY Construction cranes at South Lake Union: Sept. 17.
- Juno Therapeutics: Sept. 18.
- Museum of History and Industry: Sept. 17-22.
- Two Union Square: Sept. 18.
- Westin Hotel: Sept. 17-21.
- Vulcan: Sept. 17-22.
