February 3, 2026

A new name for Swedish's North Tower

Photo by Brian Miller [enlarge]

Hughes Tower is pictured from Boren Avenue this week.

Providence Swedish's new inpatient medical tower, currently under construction at its First Hill Campus, will be named Hughes Tower. The medical group announced the news last week. The project, at 720 Minor Ave., formerly went by North Tower.

The 12-story building has been under construction since January 2024 and is scheduled to open next year. Mortenson is the general contractor. Perkins&Will is the architect. PCS Structural Solutions is the structural engineer.

Hughes Tower will be 260 feet tall and have a footprint of 750,000 square feet. It will expand access to advanced specialty services and modern inpatient environments at the campus, to support the well-being of patients and families across the Puget Sound region.

Rendering by Perkins&Will [enlarge]

This rendering depicts Hughes Tower in the left foreground and the paused Block 95 tower in the right background.

Key elements include a 31-room emergency department with dedicated behavioral health rooms, 24 advanced operating suites, cardiac procedure rooms, medical imaging spaces, and 72 acuity-adaptable ICU beds. The building will be served by below-grade parking and support services, and will be accessible via a new public concourse.

The naming recognizes a more than 40-year philanthropic partnership between Providence Swedish, Lawrence P. (Pat) Hughes and his late wife, Mary Ellen. Following the passing of Mary Ellen Hughes in 2023, the family chose to honor her legacy by investing in the tower.

“Our family's connection to Providence Swedish goes back many years,” Pat Hughes said in a press release. “It has been a privilege to support care teams and patients across our region. Our family is deeply grateful for the compassionate care both Mary Ellen and I (have) received, and we hope this investment supports other families for generations to come.”

Funding for the $1.3 billion tower includes a combination of organizational investment and philanthropic partnerships. The Hughes family's gift is part of a broader community of donors whose support is helping advance the project.

AN INNOVATION IN STEEL

Hughes Tower is the region's largest new steel structure since the Seattle Convention Center expansion, which was completed in 2023.

Apex Steel, the project's steel erector, said in a press release that the tower uses an innovative bolted steel structure connection system “that streamlines fabrication, inspection, erection, and detailing, saving approximately six months in the construction schedule compared to traditional concrete core systems.” It also reduces lateral steel costs by 20% to 30%, Apex says.

In addition, the absence of traditional cross-bracing or concrete shear walls builds flexibility into the project for future hospital interior modifications as medical technology evolves.

“Projects like (Hughes Tower) don't come around every year, and they excite the industry when they do. Ironworkers wait years for an opportunity to work on something this special, and the quality of hands-on this project is a testament to that,” Kevin Koester, chairman of the board at Apex Steel, shared.

EXPANDING THE CAMPUS

Hughes Tower was to be the first phase of a larger expansion of the First Hill campus that would grow its footprint from 1.5 million to 3.15 million square feet.

The second element, an outpatient tower dubbed Block 95, was put on hold in September. That tower was slated to rise 16 stories above Minor Avenue, and 17 above Boren Avenue. An old parking garage at the site has been demolished.