Seattle's Historic Hotels

Images of America: Washington

by Robin Shannon

Mary Ann Conklin, also known as "Madame Damnable," ran Seattle's first hotel, the Felker House, which burned to the ground in the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. The Rainier Hotel was erected quickly following the Great Seattle Fire but razed around 1910. The Denny Hotel, an architectural masterpiece later known as the Washington Hotel, was built in 1890 but torn down in 1907 during the massive regrade that flattened Denny Hill. Upon opening in 1909, the Sorrento Hotel was declared a "credit to Seattle" by the Seattle Times. The Olympic Hotel was the place for Seattle's high society throughout the 1920s. The Hotel Kalmar was a workingman's hotel built in 1881 and was razed for the Seattle tollway. The Lincoln Hotel was destroyed by a tragic fire in 1920, along with its rooftop gardens. The famous and grand Seattle Hotel in Pioneer Square was replaced by a "sinking ship" parking garage, thus sparking preservationists to band together to establish Pioneer Square as a historic district.

128 pages, Paperback

First published March 17, 2010

Reviews

[Michelle Spurlock]

Great photos and interesting breadcrumbs for further research. I love “Images of America” on nights I can’t sleep.

I was a little shocked by the omission of the Panama Hotel which was built ~1910 in the Nihonmachi area of the International District.

[Barb]

Mentioned places we passed or stayed on our way to and from Alaska 2019.

[Kenneth Sowers]

excellent collection of photos and stories of Seattle's hotels