• Visit
    • Museum Accessibility
    • Community Access
    • Group Visits and Tours
    • Programs
      • History Café
      • MOHAI Mercantile Literary Series
      • First Thursday
      • Denny Lecture
      • Al Young Educator of the Year
      • Everyday Heroes
    • MOHAI Mercantile
    • Gourmondo at MOHAI
  • Exhibits
  • Events
  • Collections and Research
    • Collections Search
    • Themed Collections
    • Research Library
    • Image Ordering
    • Donate an Artifact
    • Curator’s Fellowship
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Membership at MOHAI
    • Gift Memberships
    • Corporate Support
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • Self-Guided School Year Explorations
      • Creating Our Community
      • Cracking the History Code: Salish Stories
      • Cracking the History Code: Settling Around the Sound
      • Hands on History
      • Self-Guided Summer Field Trips
      • Homeschool Group
    • Portable Museum Program
    • Scholarships
    • Education FAQ
    • Primary Source Analysis
    • Online Curricula
    • Teen Programs
    • Idea Lab
    • Discovery Packs
    • Summer Camps
  • About
    • Annual Reports
    • The MOHAI Blog
    • Contact MOHAI
    • Opportunities
    • Leadership
    • Private Events
  • Donate
  • Tickets
  • Membership
HomeCollections and ResearchCollections Search

Collections Search

Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

Download lower resolution images directly from an item page. MOHAI offers high-resolution digital reproductions of photographs and other materials from our collections for personal and professional use.

We have many more items in our collections and not everything you see online is on view at the museum. We have additional materials online at the University of Washington’s Digital Collections.

MOHAI Statement on Harmful Content

Search by Collection

Not finding what you are looking for?
Ask the MOHAI Collections Staff

453 results for: Hotel Seattle

Share:
Image of Hotel Sorrento, circa 1912
Photograph

Hotel Sorrento, circa 1912

By 1912, a number of hotels had been built just outside Seattle's downtown area for people traveling on business or pleasure. The Hotel Sorrento, which advertised itself as "A hotel in the heart of things," opened on First Hill in 1908. It had Seattle's first rooftop restaurant, a roof garden, and scenic views of the city, the bay, and the…
ID Number:1983.10.9468.1
Date:Circa 1912
Image of Pioneer Square, Seattle, circa 1912
Photograph

Pioneer Square, Seattle, circa 1912

This photo looks north on First Avenue from Yesler Way and shows Pioneer Square when it was a vital part of Seattle's commercial life. The buildings seen across the square include, left to right: the Lowman Building, the Lowman and Hanford Building, the Howard Building, and the Pioneer Building. The Hoge Building towers over them on Second Avenue. Signs in…
ID Number:1983.10.9474
Date:Circa 1912
Image of Frye Hotel, Seattle, circa 1913
Photograph

Frye Hotel, Seattle, circa 1913

Seattle's economy boomed in the years following 1900. In 1911, local businessman George Frye completed the Frye Hotel to cater to businessmen and other visitors who sometimes stayed for extended periods of time. It was located on Yesler Way at Third Avenue South in the heart of the downtown area. Signs in image: Stewart & Holmes Drug [C...]. [...] Engraving…
ID Number:1983.10.9592
Date:Circa 1913
Image of Arlington Hotel, Seattle, circa 1913
Photograph

Arlington Hotel, Seattle, circa 1913

Signs in image: Billiards. Arlington Hotel. Optimo Cigars. Atlas Liquor Co. Atlas Buffet. Seattle Adjustment and Sales Co. - Sold Direct to You - Wholesale & Retail - Sale on Manufacturers Samples - Clothing, Shoes, Hats & Furnishings - Direct From the Manufacturers to You - Save the Middleman's Profit. The Philip Carey Co. - Manufacturers & Distributors of Carey's…
ID Number:1983.10.9613.1
Date:Circa 1913
Image of Occidental and Yesler, Seattle, circa 1913
Photograph

Occidental and Yesler, Seattle, circa 1913

Signs in image: Chas. F. Keenan Co. Grocers. Chauncey Wright. Restaurant. Queen City Hotel.Handwritten on sleeve: Occidental & YeslerWebster & Stevens number: 26906
ID Number:1983.10.9631
Date:Circa 1913
Image of Smith Tower under construction, 1913
Photograph

Smith Tower under construction, 1913

The Smith Tower was Seattle's first skyscraper. When it opened in 1914, it was described as the "monster structure that acts as a guiding beacon to vessels in and out of Elliott Bay." For many years, it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi.In this photo, Smith Tower dwarfs an earlier landmark, the Hotel Seattle. The triangular hotel building,…
ID Number:1983.10.9738
Date:1913
Image of Yesler Way from Fourth Avenue, circa 1913
Photograph

Yesler Way from Fourth Avenue, circa 1913

In 1913, Seattleites looking west from the top of the stairway from Fourth Avenue to Yesler Way would have seen several new buildings. Most eye-catching was the almost-complete Smith Tower, then the tallest building west of the Mississippi River.In this photo, taken around 1913, the new Hotel Seward stands at the base of Smith Tower, and the Frye Hotel stands…
ID Number:1983.10.9741
Date:Circa 1913
Image of Frye Hotel and Smith Tower, Seattle, circa 1914
Photograph

Frye Hotel and Smith Tower, Seattle, circa 1914

This view west along Yesler Avenue shows the 42-story Smith Tower looming above the Frye Hotel. Built in 1914 as Seattle's first skyscaper, the Smith Tower boasts the last manually operated elevators on the west coast. Handwritten on sleeve: Smith Tower Pan from 1st Hill.Webster & Stevens number: 39869
ID Number:1983.10.9825.1
Date:Circa 1914
Image of Northern Hotel bus, Seattle, 1914
Photograph

Northern Hotel bus, Seattle, 1914

Handwritten on sleeve: Northern Hotel Bus, 1914Webster & Stevens number: 42275
ID Number:1983.10.9901
Date:1914
Image of First Avenue looking south from Battery Street, circa 1915
Photograph

First Avenue looking south from Battery Street, circa 1915

The Belltown area of Seattle was named for William Bell, one of Seattle's first settlers. At first, this mainly residential area was almost completely separated from the downtown area by Denny Hill. By 1911, part of Denny Hill had been removed and a big fire had destroyed many of the homes and small businesses. These were replaced by hotels and…
ID Number:1983.10.10038
Date:1915
Previous 1 … 22 23 24 25 26 … 46 Next

Land Acknowledgement

MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Phone: 206 324 1126
  • Plan a Visit
  • Directions and Parking
  • Accessibility
  • Group Tours
  • About

Sign up to Receive our Newsletter

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright 2026, Museum of History & Industry. All Rights Reserved