Unique Tri-Cities WA Building Isn’t the Landmark You Think It Is

What Is The Strangest Shaped Building In Tri-Cities Washington?

When I first moved to Tri-Cities in 2007, I swore that a memorial site and its building were one and the same until one day I took a closer look.

Where Is The Tri-Cities Vietnam Veterans Memorial Located?

As you come across the Cable Bridge from either Pasco or Kennewick, you'll notice the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial on either your right or left side as come off or on the bridge in Kennewick.

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It seemed to be that the memorial was quite large because it had a huge building behind it and because the building was oddly shaped,

I assumed it was just part of the monument in a very eye-catching way but I was wrong.

I even thought about this for a few years and one day my wife and I were driving across the Cable Bridge and she made the same comment, that's a huge building for a monument and we had that moment of "eureka" and realized that the building was separate from the memorial.

You see, we took a walk over to the building and quickly realized that the building was actually the Lampson International Crane Company's world headquarters. The building has been in Kennewick for over 40+ years and what makes the building so unique is that there is a purpose to its design.

In an article from the Tri-Cities Business Journal, they did a complete history of the building and you'll be surprised that to an untrained eye, you might be missing the bigger picture.

Lampson International is famous for cranes and the architect made the building look like the boom of one of the company’s heavy lift cranes.

It's actually a very innovative design and according to the owners, outside of some new carpet, the building has had very few issues over its 43-year history.

They say you learn something new every day and maybe this will be the day you realize that the odd-shaped building in Kennewick has a great legacy right next to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial which I'm sure many people still mistake the building for.

You can read more about the Lampson International building here.