Renton, Washington: Erasmus the Rooftop Dragon

A large silver dragon is perched on the roof of an old downtown building. His mouth and eyes change color. He breathes smoke. Unveiled in April 2019.

Address:: 231 Wells Ave. S., Renton, WA
Directions:: Downtown. On the roof of a building on the west side of Wells Ave. S., just north of its intersection with S. 3rd St.
Hours:: Eyes and mouth lit at night. Local health policies may affect hours and access.

Results 1 to 3 of 3...

Visitor Tips and News About Erasmus the Rooftop Dragon

Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.

Erasmus the Rooftop Dragon

The 700-pound dragon sculpture was installed in 2019 at a cost of $101,000. He is named after founder of Renton, Erasmus Smithers.

[Pinetop Jackson, 03/26/2022]

Smithers died in 1900, so we'll never know if he'd enjoy being remembered as a large dragon with glowing red eyes. Probably not.

Dragon.

Erasmus the Dragon

Erasmus the Dragon rests patiently on top of the building that he cracked after descending from the sky. His eyes and mouth change colors depending on his mood, and he breathes smoke. He is an amazing piece of art that the community of Renton loves and respects.

[David Brazier, 11/04/2020]

Renton prides itself in having the most geek-friendly, nerdiest downtown in Washington.

Rooftop dragon.

Rooftop Dragon

Perfectly situated above the small but fun downtown corridor of Renton, just a short 20 minutes south of Seattle.

[Natalie Hammers, 04/20/2019]

The dragon was unveiled in April 2019. It's made of aluminum and glows in two colors. The idea came from the building itself, which was cracked and saggy from old earthquakes and looked as if something heavy had landed on its roof. So, a dragon.