“I am heartbroken by the passing of one of
my oldest and dearest friends, Paul Allen. Paul
was a true partner and dear friend. Personal
computing would not have existed without
him. But Paul wasn’t content with starting
one company. He channeled his intellect and
compassion into a second act focused on
improving people’s lives and strengthening
communities in Seattle and around the world.
He was fond of saying, ‘If it has the potential
to do good, then we should do it.’ That’s the
kind of person he was. He deserved much
more time, but his contributions to the world
of technology and philanthropy will live
on for generations to come. I will miss him
tremendously.”
-BILL GATES
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He was fond of saying, ‘If it has the
potential to do good, then we should
do it.’ That’s the kind of person he
was. He deserved much more time,
but his contributions to the world of
technology and philanthropy will ive on
for generations to come. I will miss him
tremendously.”
During high school, Allen and Gates
would spend hours at the University of
Washington Computer Science Laboratory
researching and programming. They spent
so much time there they were banned
several times and reduced to sneaking
in. In October 2003, after donating $40
million to the university, the building was
dedicated to Allen and renamed the Paul
G. Allen Center for Computer Science and
Engineering.
Allen dropped out of Washington State
University in Pullman, Washington to
help co-found Microsoft in New Mexico,
before moving the company to Bellevue,
Washington and finally to its current home
in Redmond, Washington. Allen was only
with the company for a short time, long
enough to make him a multi-billionaire,
before resigning as executive vice president
of research and new product development
in 1983 after being diagnosed with
Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
In 1983 Allen and his sister Jody started
his privately held company Vulcan,
Inc. which not only manages his estate
and philanthropic ventures, but also an
umbrella company including Vulcan Real
Estate and Vulcan Capital. Vulcan Real
Estate is responsible for the redevelopment
of South Lake Union which currently
houses several innovative tech, healthcare,
CULTURE & ARTS
aerospace, and fashion businesses. Since
2002, nearly $5.7 billion has been invested in
the neighborhood from urban development
to public infrastructure including the South
Lake Union Streetcar which the company
advocated for in 2007.
The City of Seattle has not always agreed
with Allen and his company, as the streetcar
venture was fraught with backlash because
it was seen as a city-supported real estate
investment for Vulcan, Inc. and caused a loss
of low-income housing.
According to a 2012 article from the Wall
Street Journal, Allen’s investment in South
Lake Union proved “unexpectedly lucrative”
since Amazon bought a 1.8 million square
foot office complex, its current headquarters,
in one of Allen’s buildings along Mercer Street
for $1.16 billion. This is said to be Seattle’s most
expensive office deals ever.
In 1996, Seattle Seahawks owner Ken Behring
announced he was moving the team to
Anaheim, California. Those plans were halted
by a $500,000 a day fine by the National
Football League (NFL). Paul Allen was
approached by King County councilman Pete
von Reichbauer to buy the Seahawks in order
to keep the team in Seattle.
Allen was the one of the few financially able
people that could pull off this last-minute hail
Mary to save Seattle’s beloved football team.
Allen was not keen on an NFL ownership
despite attending University of Washington
football games every year with his librarian
father Kenneth. von Reichbauer convinced
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