Westlake Center
Westlake Center is a four-story shopping center and 25-story office tower in downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. The southern terminus of the Seattle Center Monorail, it is located across Pine Street from Westlake Park, between 4th and 5th Avenues. It is named for Westlake Avenue, which now terminates north of the mall but once ran two blocks farther south to Pike Street. Westlake Park is considered Seattle's "town square" and celebrities and political figures often make appearances or give speeches from the building's balcony. The current shopping center began construction in 1986 after over  20 years of planning, and opened its doors on October 20, 1988. The building was designed by RTKL Associates on a site of . Surrounding area. Surrounding the mall and park, Seattle's main shopping district draws scores of both locals and visitors (the Washington State Convention and Trade Center is located in this district). To the west of Westlake Center is the main store for Macy's Northwest (previously the flagship store and corporate headquarters for The Bon Marché). To the east is the flagship Nordstrom store and corporate headquarters (previously the flagship store of Frederick & Nelson). In the surrounding  area are locations for various major retailers and restaurant chains. Seattle's version of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is located in this area. Also, many stores were vandalized during the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999, during which massive protests occurred in downtown Seattle. It was also the site of the Occupy Seattle protest, which was a solidarity demonstration for Occupy Wall Street. Public transportation hub. Westlake Center is a public transportation hub for Seattle, serving as a terminus for the Seattle Center Monorail and the South Lake Union Streetcar. Underneath the mall is the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel  which houses several stops on Sound Transit's Link light rail line. Westlake Center Plaza. Westlake Center Plaza is located on the corner of 4th Avenue and Pine St and has a small, one-story (plus loft) retail pavilion. The plaza is covered in gray pavers and features several small trees. The retail space totals and is leased to Starbucks (it was previously leased to Seattle's Best Coffee). The space employs about 40 people and is the second busiest Starbucks in North America.